title: Patients seek integrative medicine for preventive approach to optimize health.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite the tremendous growth of integrative medicine (IM) in clinical settings, IM has not been well characterized in the medical literature.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe characteristics and motivation of patients seeking care at an IM clinic.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients from a nine-site practice-based research network participated in this cross-sectional survey. Clinicians documented patients' medical conditions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients provided information on demographics, lifestyle factors, and reasons for seeking care at an IM center. Clinicians documented the medical condition treated and procedures performed at the visit.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 4,182 patients (84.5% white; 72.7% college-educated; and 73.4% female) reported their most important reasons for seeking IM. Top-ranked reasons were (1) "to improve health and wellness now to prevent future problems" (83.9%); (2) "to try new options for health care" (76.7%); and (3) "to maximize my health regardless of whether or not my illness is curable" (74.6%). Interestingly, the same top reasons were reported by subgroups of patients who sought IM for wellness, acute care, or chronic illness. Patient reports of lifestyle also demonstrated healthier behaviors than national samples indicate. Patients seeking clinical care at IM centers desire an expanded paradigm of health care, one that seeks to maximize health.
authors.affiliation: Duke Integrative Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA. ruth.wolever@duke.edu
authors.forename: Ruth Q
authors.initials: RQ
authors.lastname: Wolever
authors.forename: Donald I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Abrams
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kligler
authors.forename: Jeffery A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Dusek
authors.forename: Rhonda
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: Joyce
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Frye
authors.forename: Joel S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Edman
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Amoils
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pradhan
authors.forename: Myles
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spar
authors.forename: Tracy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gaudet
authors.forename: Erminia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Guarneri
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Homel
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Amoils
authors.forename: Roberta A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Berman
authors.forename: Daniel A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Monti
authors.forename: Rowena
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dolor
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D002908:Chronic Disease; D000529:Complementary Therapies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006262:Health; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D055048:Integrative Medicine; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D044465:White People