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Homeopathy 2014; 103(01): 51-57
DOI: 10.1016/j.homp.2013.09.001
Original Paper
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Characteristics of patients consulting their regular primary care physician according to their prescribing preferences for homeopathy and complementary medicine

EPI3-LA-SER Group
France Lert
1   INSERM U1018, Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Villejuif, France
,
Lamiae Grimaldi-Bensouda
2   Pharmacoepidemiology and Infectious Diseases Research Group, Pasteur Institute and LA-SER, Paris, France
,
Frederic Rouillon
3   Sainte-Anne Hospital, University of Paris V René Descartes, Paris, France
,
Jacques Massol
4   Faculty of Medicine, University of Franche Comté, Besançon, France
,
Didier Guillemot
5   Institut Pasteur and University of Paris-Ile de France Ouest, Paris, France
,
Bernard Avouac
6   LA-SER, Paris, France
,
Gerard Duru
7   Cyklad Group, Rillieux la Pape, France
,
Anne-Marie Magnier
8   Faculty of Medicine, University Pierre and Marie Curie, Paris, France
,
Michel Rossignol
9   Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University and LA-SER Centre for Risk Research, Montreal, Canada
,
Lucien Abenhaim
10   Department of Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and LA-SER, London, UK
,
Bernard Begaud
11   INSERM U657, University of Bordeaux Segalen, Bordeaux, France
› Author Affiliations
Subject Editor:
Further Information

Publication History

Received20 January 2013
revised06 September 2013

accepted09 September 2013

Publication Date:
10 January 2018 (online)

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Background: Homeopathic care has not been well documented in terms of its impact on patients' utilization of drugs or other complementary and alternative medicines (CAM). The objective of this study was to describe and compare patients who visit physicians in general practice (GPs) who prescribe only conventional medicines (GP-CM), regularly prescribe homeopathy within a mixed practice (GP-Mx), or are certified homeopathic GPs (GP-Ho).

Material and methods: The EPI3-LASER study was a nationwide observational survey of a representative sample of GPs and their patients from across France. Physicians recorded their diagnoses and prescriptions on participating patients who completed a self-questionnaire on socio-demographics, lifestyle, quality of life Short Form 12 (SF-12) and the complementary and alternative medicine beliefs inventory (CAMBI).

Results: A total of 6379 patients (participation rate 73.1%) recruited from 804 GP practices participated in this survey. Patients attending a GP-Ho were slightly more often female with higher education than in the GP-CM group and had markedly healthier lifestyle. They did not differ greatly in their comorbidities or quality of life but exhibited large differences in their beliefs in holistic medicine and natural treatments, and in their attitude toward participating to their own care. Similar but less striking observations were made in patients of the GP-Mx group.

Conclusion: Patients seeking care with a homeopathic GP did not differ greatly in their socio-demographic characteristics but more so by their healthier lifestyle and positive attitude toward CAM. Further research is needed to explore the directionality of those associations and to assess the potential economic benefits of homeopathic management in primary care.

Keywords

Homeopathy - Prescription drugs - General practitioner - Patient's decision making
 

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