現今臺灣的醫療雖是以西方的「現代生物醫學」體系為主導， 但其他的輔助療法仍廣為使用。本研究主要是針對末期腎病患者，探討他們在接受正統醫療，即血液透析治療外，患者對其他輔助療法（中醫或傳統民俗療法）使用的情形。本研究之目的則為探討血液透析治療患者最常用來解釋他們疾病的原因及其輔助療法的使用。此探討相關性研究為一橫斷切面式設計，用以決定對血液透析治療患者最常用來解釋他們疾病的原因及其輔助療法的使用之影響因子。 本研究訪談了 160 位血液透析治療者；其中有 99 位（ 61 ％）在接受血液透析治療前曾使用一次或一次以上的輔助療法； 19 位（ 11.9 ％）則是在接受血液透析治療後仍使用一次或一次以上的輔助療法。複邏輯回歸分析（ multiple logistic regression ）為主要統計分析法，研究結果發現，病患的身體執行功能是預測他們對疾病原因的解釋最重要的預測因子。低身體執行功能的患者較傾向於將他們的疾病歸因於超自然因素。預測患者洗腎前輔助療法之使用的兩個重要預測因子則為年齡與性別。 女性與中年患者（ 45-64 歲）較傾向使用輔助療法。由於多數的病患有使用輔助療法，建議未來的研究應朝向進一步瞭解輔助療法及其與現代醫學的整合，以確保病患的安全與健康。

　　　　　The present medical system in Taiwan is considered to be stronglyWestern-oriented. However, the continuing use of traditional Chinese treatmentexists alongside Western treatment. This study focuses on end-stage renaldisease (ESRD) patients and their use of complementary therapies (traditionalChinese treatment of folk remedies) while under continuing conventional medicalcare (hemodialysis). The aim of the study was to discover how patients explainedthe cause of their disease and which complementary therapies were employed bythem. This exploratory, correlational study utilizes a cross-sectionaldescriptive design to determine the influencing factors involved in theexplanation of the cause of disease and the use of complementary treatment bypatients with ESRD undergoing HD in Taiwan. One hundred and sixty patients wereinterviewed. Ninety-nine of them (61.9%) had previously used one or more formsof complementary therapy before they receivedHD treatment; nineteen patients(11.9%) reported using one or more forms of complementary therapy after thecommencement of their HD treatment. Multiple logistic regression analyses wereused to assess differences between the groups. The only important predictor ofthe patients' perspective of the cause of ESRD is physical performance. Patientswith lower physical function tend to attibute their disease to supernaturalcauses. The two most important predictors for patients' complementary therapyuse before HD treatment are age and gender, indicating that female andmiddle-aged patients (45-64) tended to be the higher users. Further research isneeded to understand complementary therapies and their integration intoconventional medicine in order to ensure patients' safety and health.