From: Evaluation and implications of natural product use in preoperative patients: a retrospective review
 | Total Number of patients (n = 434) | Patients Taking Natural Products (n = 104) | Patients Not Taking Natural Products (n = 330) | Statistical Significance2 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mean Age (yrs) | 54 ± 17 | 62 ± 12 | 51 ± 18 | p < 0.001 |
Gender | Â | Â | Â | NS (p = 0.239) |
   Male | 187 (43) | 50 (48) | 137 (42) |  |
   Female | 247 (57) | 54 (52) | 193 (58) |  |
Allergies | Â | Â | Â | NS (p = 0.192) |
   None | 204 (47) | 45 (43) | 159 (48) |  |
   Unknown | 8 (2) | 0 (0) | 8 (2) |  |
   Patients with Allergies | 222 (51) | 59 (57) | 163 (19) |  |
Antibiotics | 174 (40) | 42 (40) | 132 (40) | NS (p = 0.439) |
Analgesia | 100 (23) | 30 (29) | 70 (21) | NS (p = 0.107) |
Other | 97 (22) | 26 (25) | 71 (22) | NS (p = 0.457) |
Surgical-associated | 19 (4) | 4 (4) | 15 (5) | NS (p = 0.761) |
Mean Time Before Surgery (days) | 6.235 ± 7 | 6.22 ± 6 | 6.24 ± 7 | NS (p = 0.9791) |
Type of Surgery | Â | Â | Â | Â |
   Genitourinary | 130 (30) | 28 (27) | 102 (31) | NS (p = 0.439) |
   GI/Abdomen | 71 (16) | 12 (12) | 59 (18) | NS (p = 0.127) |
   Joint | 56 (13) | 17 (16) | 39 (12) | NS (p = 0.230) |
   Head, Eyes, Ears, Nose, Throat | 47 (11) | 9 (9) | 38 (12) | NS (p = 0.413) |
   Spine | 45 (10) | 11 (11) | 34 (10) | NS (p = 0.889) |
   Cardiac/Chest | 41 (9) | 18 (17) | 23 (7) | p = 0.002 |
   Breast | 26 (6) | 5 (5) | 21 (6) | NS (p = 0.560) |
   Other/Unknown/Not Specified | 14 (3) | 4 (4) | 10 (3) | NS (p = 0.682) |
   None | 4 (1) | 0 (0) | 4 (1) | 3 |
Interviewer | Â | Â | Â | NS (p = 0.179) |
   Student | 302 (70) | 76 (73) | 226 (68) |  |
   Resident | 16 (4) | 6 (6) | 10 (3) |  |
   Pharmacist | 116 (27) | 22 (21) | 94 (28) |  |
Source of History | Â | Â | Â | NS (p = 0.394) |
   Patient | 388 (89) | 90 (87) | 298 (90) |  |
   Family | 66 (15) | 17 (16) | 49 (15) |  |
   Documentation | 64 (15) | 22 (21) | 42 (13) |  |
   Outside pharmacy | 27 (6) | 8 (8) | 19 (6) |  |
   Not specified | 36 (8) | 10 (10) | 26 (8) |  |
Mean number of medications/natural products | Â | Â | Â | Â |
   Prescription | 5 ± 4 | 6 ± 4 | 5 ± 4 | p < 0.001 |
   Non-prescription | 2 ± 2 | 3 ± 2 | 2 ± 2 | p < 0.001 |
   Natural Products | 0.4 ± 1 | 1.9 ± 2 | 0 | 3 |