Introduction
The research selected for the purpose of critical analysis is one undertaken by researchers at the Nanyang University in Singapore. The study aims to determine the trends and practices as well as the consumer perceptions pertaining to the traditional Chinese (TCM) and the Western Medicines. The different forms of traditional Chinese medicine that are employed in the market pertain to the use of acupuncture, herbal medicines as well as tuina.
The study highlights that the traditional Chinese medicine is a natural part of the culture in Singapore where the study took place, however when the Western medicine is also widely available, people tend to opt for the use of the Western medicine as the industry for it is more regulated by the government and more controlled and reliable as opposed to the traditional Chinese medicine.
The critique analysis the study from the aspect of the design and administration of the study while highlighting the population and the experimental units that were employed in the study. The procedure of the study has been illustrated and analyzed in terms of what was measured and how it was measures. The aspect of blinding has also been taken into account. The graphical and the numerical analysis conducted in the study are commented upon in terms of its validity, and the extent to which the results of the data analysis can be generalized t the population.
Design and Administration
The study selected used two types of research methodologies. A qualitative literature review based research was conducted which used previously conducted research on the topic to substantiate why further research is necessary and how the research undertaken can provide significant information.
This was the secondary data analysis. The second approach pertained to the collection of primary data from the respondents. For this study a survey was conducted outside traditional Chinese as well as Western medicine providing pharmacies where the customers were interviewed about their perceptions of Chinese and western medicine. A five point scale bi polar scale was employed. The researchers substantiated the study by undertaking it in Singapore which has a well established structure for both traditional Chinese herbal medicine as well as a Western health care system.
Population and Experimental Units
The entire population that was available for the study were the people who were interested in either the Western or the traditional Chinese form of medicine. No experiment was conducted in the study; however a survey was conducted to gather data form primary research. For this a sample of one hundred and fifty Chinese customers were served using both English and Chinese languages. The location of the research was outside three pharmacies, two of which were western medicine dispensing pharmacies and one was a traditional Chinese pharmacy.
Procedure of the Study
As mentioned earlier no experiment was conducted in the study, therefore no experimental units were applies. However a primary research was conducted using questionnaire based surveys administrated by the researchers themselves. The questionnaires were designed such that the first section focused on determining the perception of the respondents pertaining to the choice of medicine and the factors which influenced their decision making.
The second section of the questionnaire highlighted the use of the Chinese medicine specific to the different ailments. For this a bipolar scale was used for the responses. The third section focused on the factors specific to the decision making of the respondents. These respondents were limited to accessibility, safety, reliability, influence of the family and effectiveness. The data analysis was conducted using frequency distribution and t tests to test the identified hypothesis. Pearson’s correlation tests were also performed. Additionally multidimensional scaling was also used for determining the similarities and differences in the selected factors which affected the choice of the healthcare for the respondents.
Blinding
In this section, it needs to be specified that as no drug test was conducted or medicine was administered to the respondents, and no test group or experimental unit based research was performed, the element of blinding in the administration of treatment cannot be determined or accounted for.
Graphical and Numerical Analysis
The graphical and the numerical analysis in the study pertained to the analysis conducted for the primary research carried out. The primary research employed 120 useable questionnaire instruments off the 150 questionnaire which were originally filled by the respondents. The other 30 were disregarded due to lack of information and incorrect filling out of the instrument. From the 120 questionnaire instruments which were usable, the analysis was conducted using frequency distribution, t tests and correlation formulas. Multidimensional scaling helped identify the factors effecting decision making for the respondents.
Tables were used in the research paper to depict the results of the study. The tables highlighted the responses of the respondents form the traditional Chinese and western pharmacies. Their responses were put against their usage of the medicines. The types of the traditional Chinese medicine in the table pertained to medicines prepared form plant source, those prepared from animal source sand those that were either prescribed by a traditional Chinese medicine based physical and the ones which were commercially prepared and sold in the markets. These were plotted against the use of the medicine by the respondents in term of daily, weekly, monthly usage.
The information that was depicted in the tables could have been better presented by clarifying the elements being depicted. Moreover graphs could have been used to depict the deviation and trend of the responses. Additionally a comparison of the respondents in favors of traditional Chinese medicine and those in favor of the western medicine could have been plotted against their perspectives and attributes.
Conclusion of the Study
The conclusions that are drawn by the study show that people who used the traditional Chinese medicine as well as the western medicine tended to consume the traditional Chinese medicine as least twice a month. Moreover it was also concluded that the western pharmacy attending consumers usually preferred to use the tradition Chinese medicine which was prepared commercially and sold in shops, while those which attained the traditional Chinese pharmacies and halls preferred those traditional Chinese medicines which were manufactured form plant as well as animal sources.
The authors found that both samples (those that primarily used TCM and those that primarily used Western medicine) reported at least bimonthly consumption of TCM. Western pharmacy consumers prefer TCM prepared in shops, while TCM halls consumers prefer self-prepared TCM from animal sources.
The results also indicated that about fifty percent of the consumers of the traditional Chinese medicine tended to balance the Yin-Yang in their consumption of diet. The preferences of the traditional Chinese medicine were influenced highly by the choice of the family and their orientation. Other main sources included the TCM based physicals and the advertisements place in the mass media.
The results of the study can be generalized to the population, but only to an extent. As the location of the study was Singapore due to its unique blend of use of traditional as well as western medicine, the study can be generalized for the population of Singapore. But in order for the results of the study to be valid else whether in South East Asia additional elements need to be taken into account
References
Piron, F., Ching, C.W., Peng, E.C.A., Ching, H.L., (2000), Consumers’ Perceptions of Chinese vs. Western Medicine, Advances in Consumer Research, Vol. 27 Issue 1, p125-130, 6p, 2 charts, Ebscohost Database. Web.