Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use and Its Association with Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients Receiving Maintenance Hemodialysis: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use is common among patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis (MHD), but its associated factors, communication patterns, and relationship with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) remain unclear. Methods: This single-center cross-sectional study included 154 patients receiving MHD in southern Taiwan. We assessed CAM use, physician disclosure, and HRQOL (measured via the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Short-Form Survey (KDQOL-SF v1.3)). Between-group comparisons (with Bonferroni correction), multivariate logistic regression, and general linear modeling were applied for data analysis. Results: Overall, 86 patients (55.8%) reported CAM use, most commonly traditional herbal-based medicine (65.1%). Female sex was independently associated with CAM use (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.56, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.28–5.13; p = 0.008). Among CAM users, 66.3% discussed CAM use with physicians, while 33.7% did not. After adjusting for age, gender, duration of dialysis, and comorbidities, CAM users demonstrated significantly higher social support (mean difference [MD] = 9.06 ± 2.65; 95% CI: 3.82, 14.30; p = 0.001) and mental component summary scores (MD = 5.41 ± 1.68; 95% CI: 2.09, 8.73; p = 0.002) than non-users. Conversely, CAM users had slightly lower symptom/problem list scores (MD = −3.56 ± 1.58; 95% CI: −6.68, −0.44; p = 0.026). Conclusions: CAM use was common and associated with female sex, better mental well-being, and perceived social support. Routine, open, and nonjudgmental communication about CAM is warranted. Multicenter longitudinal studies are needed to clarify these associations and their implications for HRQOL and clinical outcomes.