Exclusive Use of Alternative Medicine as a Positive Choice

Skovgaard, Lasse; Pedersen, Inge Kryger; Verhoef, Marja J.

doi:10.7224/1537-2073.2013-010

Cited by 10 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 30 publications

(44 reference statements)

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“…CAM users may be considered deviant and noncompliant because they challenge the rationality of medical advice [13–15], and they report a significantly “lower level of confidence in the efficacy of conventional medicine”than non-users [16]. However, most CAM users do not leave the public healthcare system despite negative experiences that sometimes function as push-factors for their decision to use CAM [11–14, 17, 18]. They uphold a relationship to public healthcare, and studies show that most CAM users want to discuss possible benefits and risks associated with their CAM use with their conventional healthcare providers [14, 19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Then I went to a hospital abroad”: acknowledging implications of stakeholders’ differing risk understandings related to use of complementary and alternative medicine in European health care contexts

Salamonsen

Wiesener

2019

BMC Complement Altern Med

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Background Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is a rather novel issue within public healthcare and health policy-making. CAM use in Europe is widespread, patient-initiated, and patient-evaluated, and the regulation across countries has been evaluated as disharmonized. CAM users are left in an uncertain position, and patient safety may be threatened. How “risk” is understood by individuals in health policy-making and clinical encounters involving the use of CAM has not yet been much debated. The aim of this article is to explore and discuss the existence and possible consequences of differing risk understandings among stakeholders maneuvering in the complex landscape of CAM practice and CAM regulation contextualized by European public healthcare systems. Methods Qualitative data were derived from two studies on CAM in European healthcare contexts. Findings from the EU project CAMbrella on legislation and regulation of CAM were mixed with data from an interview study exploring risk understandings, communication, and decision-making among Scandinavian CAM users and their doctors. In a secondary content analysis, we constructed the case Sara as a typology to demonstrate important findings with regard to risk understandings and patient safety involving European citizens’ use of CAM in differing contexts. Results By combining and comparing individual and structural perspectives on risk and CAM use, we revealed underexplored gaps in risk understandings among individuals involved in European CAM regulation and legislation, and between CAM users and their medical doctors. This may cause health risks and uncertainties associated with CAM use and regulation. It may also negatively influence doctor-CAM user communication and CAM users’ trust in and use of public healthcare. Conclusion Acknowledging implications of stakeholders’ differing risk understandings related to CAM use and regulation may positively influence patient safety in European healthcare. Definitions of the concept of risk should include the factors uncertainty and subjectivity to grasp the full picture of possible risks associated with the use of CAM. To transform the findings of this study into practical settings, we introduce sets of questions relevant to operationalize the important question “What is risk?” in health policy-making, clinical encounters and risk research involving European patients’ use of CAM.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Then I went to a hospital abroad”: acknowledging implications of stakeholders’ differing risk understandings related to use of complementary and alternative medicine in European health care contexts

Salamonsen

Wiesener

2019

BMC Complement Altern Med

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Use of herbal remedies by multiple sclerosis patients: a nation-wide survey in Italy

et al. 2016

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Though recent progress in multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment is remarkable, numerous unmet needs remain to be addressed often inducing patients to look for complementary and alternative medicines (CAM), especially herbal remedies (HR). HR use, scarcely investigated in MS, may cause adverse reactions (AR) and interfere with conventional treatment. We performed a survey aimed at evaluating use and attitudes towards HR and factor associated to HR use. Other CAM use and attitudes have been investigated as well. Multiple-choice questionnaires were distributed to MS out patients attending 14 Italian referral Centers. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify HR use determinants. Present/past HR use for either MS or other diseases was reported in 35.6 % of 2419 cases (95 % CI 36.0-40.0 %). CAM use was reported in 42.5 % of cases. Independent predictors of HR use were represented by higher education, geographic area, dissatisfaction with conventional treatment of diseases other than MS and benefit perception from CAM use. Both HR and CAM use were not always disclosed to the healthcare professional. In conclusion, HR and other CAM appear to be popular among MS patients. The involvement of the healthcare professionals appears to be scarce with potential risk of AR or interference with conventional treatments.

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Use of complementary and alternative medicine in patients with multiple sclerosis in Germany

Gotta

Mayer

Huebner

2018

Complementary Therapies in Medicine

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Exclusive Use of Alternative Medicine as a Positive Choice

Cited by 10 publications

References 30 publications

“Then I went to a hospital abroad”: acknowledging implications of stakeholders’ differing risk understandings related to use of complementary and alternative medicine in European health care contexts

“Then I went to a hospital abroad”: acknowledging implications of stakeholders’ differing risk understandings related to use of complementary and alternative medicine in European health care contexts

Use of herbal remedies by multiple sclerosis patients: a nation-wide survey in Italy

Use of complementary and alternative medicine in patients with multiple sclerosis in Germany

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