Table 4

Primary indications in ambulatory visits of Chinese and Western medicine under the National Health Insurance Program in Taiwan from 1997 to 2003

Primary indication (ICD-9-CM code)
 Chinese medicine
(n=1,341,286)
 Western medicine
(n=10,796,391)
1 Infectious and parasitic diseases
 0.5*
 2.3
2 Malignant neoplasms
 0.2
 0.7
3 Other neoplasms
 0.1
 0.7
4 Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases and immunity disorders
 1.3
 3.8
5 Mental disorders
 0.6
 2.0
6 Diseases of the nervous system
 1.6
 1.3
7 Diseases of the sense organs
 1.2
 7.1
8 Diseases of the circulatory system
 1.8
 6.3
9 Diseases of the respiratory system
 22.1
 35.6
10 Diseases of the digestive system
 11.4
 7.2
11 Diseases of the genitourinary system
 7.2
 7.2
12 Complications of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium
 0.1
 0.4
13 Diseases of skin and subcutaneous tissue
 3.1
 6.2
14 Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue
 18.1
 7.5
15 Congenital anomalies
 0.1
 0.1
16 Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period
 0.0
 0.0
17 Signs, symptoms and ill-defined conditions
 14.2
 3.7
18 Injury and poisoning
 16.2
 4.5
19 Accidents and self inflicted injury
 0.0
 0.1
20 Other reasons for contact with health services
 0.2
 3.3

*%.

Chang et al. BMC Health Services Research 2008 8:170   doi:10.1186/1472-6963-8-170