Ethical Considerations
The study was approved by and received grants from the
Guangdong Science and Technology Department and
Guangdong Provincial Department of Health, China.
Permission for the study was obtained from the managers
of both the university and hospitals in Guangzhou,
China. The patients were informed that participation
was voluntary and that withdrawal from the study was
possible at any time. They were also informed of the
confidentiality of their participation. Before administering
the survey, researchers stressed to patients that participation
or lack of participation in the study would not
influence care received.