An observational study of patients receiving homeopathic treatment

[Yllapito]

An observational study of patients receiving homeopathic treatment

M Van Wassenhoven1 and G Ives2*
1Unio Homoeopathica Belgica, 132 chauss!ee de Bruxelles, 1190 Brussels, Belgium;
2Priority Research Ltd, Sheffield Science Park, Arundel Street, Sheffield, UK

Background.
Observational studies have recently contributed useful information to the debate about the utility of homeopathic treatment in everyday practice.

Aim.
To gather data about routine homeopathic general practice.

Setting.
Eighty general medical practices in Belgium where physicians were members of the Unio Homoeopathica Belgica.

Methods.
All patients and their physicians visiting the practices on a specified day completed a questionnaire.

Results.
A total of 782 patients presented with diseases of all major organ systems which were of sufficient severity to interfere with daily living in 78% of cases.
Compared to previous conventional treatment, patients reported that consultations were much longer but costed less. One or more conventional drug treatments were discontinued in over half (52%) of the patients: CNS (including psychotropic) drugs (21%), drugs for respiratory conditions (16%) and antibiotics (16%). Conventional drugs were prescribed to about a quarter of patients (27%), mostly antibiotics and
cardiovascular medication. The antibiotics were almost exclusively (95%) used to treat respiratory infections.
Prescription costs (including conventional medicines) were onethird of the general practice average.

Patients’ satisfaction with their homeopathic treatment was very high (95% fairly or very satisfied), and ratings of their previous treatment was much lower (20%). The great majority (89%) said that homeopathy had improved their physical condition; 8.5% said that it had made no difference, 2.4% said that homeopathy had worsened their condition. Physicians’ ratings of improvement were similar.

Previous conventional treatment had improved 13% of patients, made no difference to 32%, and had worsened the condition of over half (55%). A similar pattern was seen for psychological symptoms.

Conclusions:
Patients were very satisfied with their homeopathic treatment, both they and their physicians recorded significant improvement. Costs of homeopathic treatment were significantly lower than conventional treatment, and many previously prescribed drugs were discontinued.


Homeopathy (2004) 93, 3–11.
Keywords: homeopathy; general practice; Belgium; patient satisfaction; costs; effectiveness


Introduction

There is increasing interest in data collection as a valid research method,1 not just complementing the information gained from clinical trials and basic research but also indicating potentiallyfru itful areas for these.

Part of the impetus arises from the need to demonstrate to decision-makers the economic advantages and
benefits to patients, rather than the more traditional research motive of demonstrating the validityof
homeopathyto skeptical scientists.
There is also a view that clinical research in homeopathyover the last decade has yielded relatively disappointing results,2 ARTICLE IN PRESS, and that the creation of large databases, with the potential to establish links between patient presentation, prescribing habits and outcomes, is a promising alternative research approach which until recentlyhas been relativelynegle cted.3
Data collection is also an important component of the EU’s Sixth Framework for research.4

Some work in this direction has alreadybeen undertaken.
Becker-Witt et al5 compared the effectiveness and costs of homeopathic treatment with conventional medicine.
Trichard et al6 made a similar comparison of cost-effectiveness, homeopathic treatment in recurrent acute rhinopharyngitis in children.
Steinsbekk and Fønnebø,7 investigated the question of who visits homeopaths in Norway.

All these authors stress the importance of meeting the challenge of assessing the effects of homeopathyin real life practice, as recommended by Guthlin and Walach.8

The present study was undertaken in part to investigate the methodology, and to discover what kind of information would emerge. It was undertaken by members of the Unio Homoeopathica Belgica in 2001 to investigate patients’ perceptions of their homeopathic treatment and the prescribing habits of their homeopathic doctors.