Homoeopathy in primary care: self-reported change in health status.
OBJECTIVE
In recent years numerous clinical trials have been carried out to evaluate homoeopathic therapy. Another approach to evaluating homoeopathy is to investigate its impact in primary health care, that is on outpatients to a homoeopathic centre.


METHODS
609 patients on their first visit to a homoeopathic clinic from June 1995 to May 1997 received a telephone call 1 year later in which they were asked to rate their general health compared with 1 year ago.


RESULTS
1 year after first examination 73.5% of patients reported a marked or moderate improvement in their health status. Marked improvement was significantly higher in subjects who stated they were satisfied with the care received, in females, in the 0-15-year-old age group and in patients who completed therapy.


CONCLUSIONS
For conditions which are not life-threatening, homoeopathy seems to meet patients' needs in primary health care.
Attena
F
F
Istituto di Igiene e Medicina Preventiva, Facoltà di Medicina, Seconda Università degli Studi di Napoli, Italy.
Del Giudice
N
N
Verrengia
G
G
Granito
C
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006705:Homeopathy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011320:Primary Health Care