The use of herbal medicines by people with cancer: a cross-sectional survey

BACKGROUND: A large proportion of cancer patients are estimated to use herbal medicines, but data to substantiate this are lacking. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of herbal medicine use among cancer patients in the West Midlands, and determine the characteristics predicting herbal medicine use. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of oncology patients (n=1498) being followed up at a hospital in Coventry was undertaken. Recipients were asked about herbal medicine use since their cancer diagnosis, and the association between sociodemographic and cancer-related characteristics and herbal medicine use was evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 1134 responses were received (75.7%). The prevalence of herbal medicine use was 19.7% (95% CI: 17.4-22.1; n=223). Users were more likely to be affluent, female, and aged under 50 years. Usage increased with time since cancer diagnosis (X(2) for trend=4.63; P=0.031). A validation data set, derived from a survey of oncology patients in Birmingham (n=541) with differing socioeconomic characteristics showed no significant difference in estimated prevalence (16.6%; 95% CI: 11.9-22.2). CONCLUSION: A substantial number of people with cancer are likely to be taking herbal medicines. Understanding the self-medication behaviours of these individuals is essential if health-care professionals are to support treatment adherence and avoid unwanted pharmacological interactions

Personal acquaintances and salespeople in financial services: Differences between customers and friends

The existence, benefit and management of customer&ndash;salesperson relationships in the marketing of financial services are topics of increasing interest. Much of the sales and marketing literature implies that because of time spent together, salespeople and some of their customers develop close relationships that are akin to friendships. Evidence from social psychology confirms that strong relationships are founded in deep knowledge of others gained over long periods after sharing personal information. This paper reports on the results of a study of salespeople\u27s assessments of their personal acquaintance with customers and friends in a financial services setting. The results indicate that salespeople do not classify customers as friends on all the dimensions of personal acquaintance. Furthermore, the nature of personal acquaintance differs between &lsquo;good&rsquo; customers (those salespeople enjoy serving), and &lsquo;bad&rsquo; (those they do not), with the exception of the personal acquaintance dimensions of interaction frequency and personal disclosure. We discuss the implications for practice and make recommendations for future research.<br /

Continuing Professional Development: Pain management in children in the pre-hospital environment.

Pain management is complex in children; age, developmental level, and both cognitive and communication skills, as well as associated beliefs must be considered. Pain can have psychological, physical and social consequences, all of which impact quality of life. Without effective pain treatment, there are risks of long-term changes in stress hormone responses, pain perception and post-traumatic stress disorder. The current article helps to shed light on a number of difficulties faced when managing pain in children, and how to overcome them