Outcome and costs of homoeopathic and conventional treatment strategies: a comparative cohort study in patients with chronic disorders.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effectiveness of homoeopathy versus conventional treatment in routine care.


METHODS
Comparative cohort study.


METHODS
Patients with selected chronic diagnoses were enrolled in medical practice.


METHODS
Conventional treatment or homeopathy.


METHODS
Severity of symptoms assessed by patients and physicians (visual rating scale, 0-10) at baseline, 6 and 12 months and costs.


RESULTS
The analyses of 493 patients (315 adults, 178 children) indicated greater improvement in patients' assessments after homoeopathic versus conventional treatment (adults: homeopathy from 5.7 to 3.2; conventional, 5.9-4.4; p=0.002; children from 5.1 to 2.6 and from 4.5 to 3.2). Physician assessments were also more favourable for children who had received homoeopathic treatment (4.6-2.0 and 3.9-2.7; p<0.001). Overall costs showed no significant differences between both treatment groups (adults, 2155 versus 2013, p=0.856; children, 1471 versus 786, p=0.137).


CONCLUSIONS
Patients seeking homoeopathic treatment had a better outcome overall compared with patients on conventional treatment, whereas total costs in both groups were similar.
Witt
Claudia
C
Institute for Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité University Medical Center, 10098 Berlin, Germany. claudia.witt@charite.de
Keil
Thomas
T
Selim
Dagmar
D
Roll
Stephanie
S
Vance
Will
W
Wegscheider
Karl
K
Willich
Stefan N
SN
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000145:classification / Q000191:economics / Q000628:therapy*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006705:Homeopathy / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000191:economics*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome