Evaluation of the Role of Homeopathy in an Integrative Care Day Hospital for Oncology Outpatients in Strasbourg (France): A Qualitative Study

Context: In Strasbourg, an integrative care day hospital at the Clinique de la Toussaint receives patients with cancer, WHO performance status 2 or 3, presenting with symptoms of grade 2 or 3. A dozen different integrative treatments are practiced there. How was the homeopathic consultation perceived during this day of integrative care?

Methods: Patients were included in this purely qualitative study in the order of their arrival between 18/02 and 08/04/22. The data collection was performed by a physician unknown to the patients. No question was ever directly asked about the homeopathic consultation and the therapeutic effects obtained. Inclusions were made until data saturation was reached. The analysis of the verbatim account was made according to the interpretative phenomenological approach. NovaMind^® software was used.

Results: Twenty patients, including 13 in a metastatic situation, responded to interviews lasting for an average of 23 minutes. The homeopathic consultation was commented on spontaneously by 17 patients. Always very well received, the homeopathic consultation was described as a time of soothing listening, where people could speak in an atmosphere of trust, benevolence and “humanity.” It was a time described as useful because the pathology and oncological treatments in progress were clearly explained. The clinical examination was felt to be thorough and informative. The prescription was clearly perceived as complementary and not as an alternative to cancer treatments. Homeopathy was described as one of the most useful treatments of the day, because it is effective and long-lasting. It sometimes became possible to reduce conventional medicines.

Conclusion: The homeopathic consultation, given the time taken, the particular quality of listening to the patient and the careful clinical examination that it requires, was described as soothing, informative, benevolent and personal. The long-lasting therapeutic activity was appreciated by patients, particularly when concerning orphan symptoms.

Keywords: Qualitative study, homeopathy, integrative oncology

Publication History

Article published online:
30 January 2024