Table 5.
Sources of recommendation, supply and information
| Survey questions | n (% of users/respondents)* |
|---|---|
|
Who has recommended the use of herbal medicines? (n = 182 number of users)
|
|
| Family members |
112 (61.5) |
| Naturopaths, herbal or health food stores |
86 (47.3) |
| Friends |
57 (31.3) |
| Self (including self-reading of magazine, internet) |
56 (30.8) |
| Health professionals (including clinic/child health nurses, midwives, lactation consultants) |
26 (14.3) |
| Pharmacists and pharmacy staff |
24 (13.2) |
| Prescribers and specialists (including doctors/general practitioners, gynaecologists, obstetricians) |
4 (2.2) |
|
Sources of supply: Where have they obtained or purchased their herbal medicines? (n = 182 number of users)
|
|
| Community pharmacies |
105 (57.7) |
| Herbal or health food stores |
88 (48.4) |
| Supermarkets |
73 (40.1) |
| Naturopathic clinics |
27 (14.8) |
| Family or friends |
26 (14.3) |
| Internet |
4 (2.2) |
|
Sources of information: Where to seek information concerning use of herbal medicines during breastfeeding? (N = 303)
|
|
| Pharmacists |
154 (50.8) |
| Doctors |
146 (48.2) |
| Family or friends |
139 (45.9) |
| Internet |
133 (43.9) |
| Lactation consultants |
89 (29.4) |
| Naturopaths or homeopathic practitioners |
87 (28.7) |
| Child health nurses |
83 (27.4) |
| Herbal or health food stores |
71 (23.4) |
| Books, literature or journal articles |
59 (19.5) |
| Others | 11 (3.6) |
*Does not total 100% as more than one response had been indicated by some participants.