METHODS

METHODS

Design, settings and participants
A qualitative focus group study was carried out in November
2002. A total of 28 persons participated in two
patients’ groups and one TCM professional group. We
used purposeful sampling (Morse 1991; Tuckett 2004) to
find information-rich respondents whom the institutional
representative or the attending physician thought might
provide us with important insights.
We conducted the first patient focus group at Beijing
Cancer Hospital, which is a large-scale public cancer hospital
and a teaching hospital affiliated with the School of
Oncology, Peking University. This group involved eight
cancer patients and five family members. All patients
came from the Department of TCM. This hospital provides
mainstream, conventional Western therapies such
as surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy; however,
patients may also have access to TCM treatments if they
wish. Family members who accompanied patients spontaneously
volunteered to participate in the meeting. We
included them because they could give us insight concerning
the patient’s decision to use TCM. Family members
might also be clearer than the patient himself regarding
treatment schedule and regimens.
The second patient focus group, involving six cancer
patients and three family members, was conducted at Bai
Cao TCM Cancer Clinic, which is a small-scale private
family-run clinic where TCM practitioners use ancestral
herbal treatment strategies and formulae for cancer care.
Patients who receive treatments here have to seek conventional
Western treatment and follow-up in larger hospitals.
This type of TCM clinic is widespread in China.
The majority of the cancer patients who attend the clinic
have secondary/relapsed, refractory or end-stage cancer, or
they are patients who are not able to use conventional
therapies, those who choose TCM alone, and/or those in
the recovery stage after conventional therapies.
The third focus group involved TCM professionals from
Beijing Cancer Hospital and Bai Cao Cancer Clinic: four
TCM physicians, one qigong master and one TCM
student.