Research Proposal

University of Cebu School of Medicine

Year Level 1, Block 9

Preference on Herbal Medicines and

Supplements among Private Clinicians in
Cebu City

CENTINO, KAREN
DAVID, KIMBERLY
DESPI, REY KRISTOFFER
IMBONG, KIM
JUMAMOY, SHAMELLAH
LUZON, BONNA
ROSALEJOS, ROSALIE
RUSSEL, MIA
TUBAC, KEN JOSEPH
VALE, EMER JOY T.
 A. Research Questions

1. What is the profile of the private clinicians in Cebu City in terms of:
a. Sex
b. Age Range
c. Specialization
d. Involvement in Networking Business?

2. What herbal medicine and supplement is preferred by private clinicians?

3. What is the level of preference on herbal medicines and supplements among private
clinicians in terms of
A. Personal use
A1. As main therapeutic remedy for a disease condition
A2. As a supplement together with the main therapeutic remedy for a
disease condition
A3. As a daily supplement without a disease condition?

B. Client’s prescription
B1. As main therapeutic remedy for a disease condition
B2. As a supplement together with the main therapeutic remedy for a
disease condition
B3. As a daily supplement without a disease condition?

4. Is there a significant association among profile and preferred herbal medicines and
supplements among private physicians in Cebu City?

5. Is there a significant association among profile and level of preference among private
physicians in Cebu City.
B.Influence of Philosophical Approaches

Ontology answers what is the form and nature of reality and therefore, what can be
known about it is “how things really are” and “how things really work”. Epistemology is
concerned with the nature of knowledge and ways of knowing and learning about social
reality. These are interconnected.
Here are our assumptions that may lead us to appropriate research design:
 Reality about preferences on herbal medicines and supplements can be observed
directly and accurately
 A clear distinction exists between our beliefs on herbal medicines and supplements
and the way other people believe on it
 The associative links between preference on herbal medicines and supplements and
peoples differences can eventually be uncovered by investigation

The ontological and epistemological positions which underpin our research are
grounded on the belief that no ultimate or absolute reality or knowledge about
herbal medicines and supplements preferences exists except that which has been
revealed to us by the most advance diagnostic capabilities. Other knowledge and
realities about this matter do exist, but these cannot be claimed as purely true realities.
The knowledge and reality which have been revealed to us through God about
existence, nations and events of the past, present and future is doubtless and
considered as pure truth because of their divine origin. However, not all truth and
knowledge have been revealed to us about these herbal medicines and supplements
and, thus, it is upon us to explore them. In addition, because reality is seen through
people’s beliefs and perceptions, there exist different ways of viewing and interpreting
this reality. This, in turns, makes knowledge subjective for it is influenced by various
personal and contextual factors paving us to decide to have an investigation on this
area. Such views about this reality may be socially ‘constructed’ and do not exist
independently of human experiences and interaction.
Therefore, we see this phenomena and its meanings as continually being
accomplished by social actors through interaction. In addition, people may construct
meanings in different ways, even in relation to the same phenomena for each one of
them has his/her own personal perspective (Wellington, 2000). Finally, we view truth as
in a constant state of revision rather than something fixed awaiting discovery.
 C.Describe Methods Used in Research
A quantitative Research Design will be used. Specifically, descriptive research will be
used in this research. Before getting into any kind of survey though, the survey goals
and survey design is very important. Despite following these steps though, there is no
way to know if the research outcome will be met. To understand the end objective of our
research goals, below are some ways that we need to be done:

 Define respondent characteristics: The aim of using close-ended questions is to

draw concrete conclusions about the respondents. This could be the need to derive
patterns, traits and behaviors of the respondents. It could also be to understand from
a respondent, their attitude or opinion about the preferences on herbal medicines and
supplements in question.
 Measure data trends: Data trends can be measured over time with statistical
capabilities provided by this descriptive research.
 Conduct comparisons: We need to understand how different groups preferred on
the usage of herbal medicines and supplements.
 Validate existing conditions: We need to ascertain the prevailing conditions and
underlying patterns of the different preferences related to herbal medicines and
supplements. Due to the non invasive method of investigation and the use
of quantitative observation and some aspects of qualitative observation, each
variable is observed and an in-depth analysis can be concluded. It is also used to
validate any existing conditions that maybe prevalent in a population.
 Conduct research at different times: To ascertain if there are any similarities or
differences, the research can be conducted at different periods of times. This also
allows any number of variables to be evaluated. For the purpose of verification,
studies on prevailing conditions about this can also be repeated to draw trends.

Planned Actions

A question survey is to be developed to assess private physicians level of preferences

on herbal medicines and supplements. The survey instrument will contain items
adapted from similar surveys conducted previously. Individual survey items will be
reviewed by a group of faculty members and consensus is to be reached regarding
clarity and importance of each item. The survey will be pretested and additional
comment will be utilized to further refine the instrument. The survey will distributed from
a particular period of time in Cebu City. Surveys will be distributed at private clinics.
Participation will be solicited at the different sites where background information on the
scope and purpose of the survey will be also provided. Participants will be asked to
complete paper surveys privately on the spot within 5-10 minutes, but participants could
take as much time as desired to fill out the survey. Additional clarification will be
provided if needed. Surveys will be briefly assessed by the survey team for
completeness on location before being filed for later analysis. Participants will be
required to be at least a private clinician currently in practice will be eligible to complete
the survey. Respondents will indicate which herbal medicine or supplements they prefer
from a list of common herbal and dietary supplements will be included on the survey.
They will also have the option to indicate “other” and write in any other product used.
Basic demographic information will be collected. Level of preference based on personal
use and for Client prescription will also be investigated by providing a Likert Scale of
possible answers . The survey will be conducted following approval from the Institutional
Review Board at University of Cebu School of Medicine. Confidentiality will ensured
throughout data collection and analysis. Mean values will be calculated for Likert scale
agreement questions, and overall percentages will be reported for survey responses.
Data will be analyzed using Epi Info 2017 version.
INDEPENDENT VARIABLES DEPENDENT VARIABLES

Private Clinicians Specialization-

Qualitative variable- Nominal PREFERRED HERBAL
MEDICINE- Qualitative
variable- Nominal

Private Clinicians Age Range –

Qualitative - Ordinal
PRIVATE PHYSICIANS’ LEVEL
OF PREFERENCE IN TERMS
OF PERSONAL USE-
Qualitative - Ordinal

Private Clinicians Sex- Qualitative

variable- Nominal

PRIVATE PHYSICIANS’ LEVEL

Private Clinicians Involvement in
OF PREFERENCE CLIENT
Networking Business- Qualitative
PRESCRIPTION- Qualitative -
variable- Nominal
Ordinal