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


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.


CONCLUSIONS
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.
INSERM U1018, Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Villejuif, France. Electronic address: france.lert@inserm.fr.
France
F
Lert
Pharmacoepidemiology and Infectious Diseases Research Group, Pasteur Institute and LA-SER, Paris, France. Electronic address: Lamiae.grimaldi@la-ser.com.
Lamiae
L
Grimaldi-Bensouda
Sainte-Anne Hospital, University of Paris V René Descartes, Paris, France. Electronic address: F.ROUILLON@ch-sainte-anne.fr.
Frederic
F
Rouillon
Faculty of Medicine, University of Franche Comté, Besançon, France. Electronic address: Jacques.Massol@univ-fcomte.fr.
Jacques
J
Massol
Institut Pasteur and University of Paris-Ile de France Ouest, Paris, France. Electronic address: Didier.Guillemot@Pasteur.fr.
Didier
D
Guillemot
LA-SER, Paris, France. Electronic address: Bernard.Avouac@la-ser.com.
Bernard
B
Avouac
Cyklad Group, Rillieux la Pape, France. Electronic address: Gerard.Duru@gmail.com.
Gerard
G
Duru
Faculty of Medicine, University Pierre and Marie Curie, Paris, France. Electronic address: AMMagnier@nerim.fr.
Anne-Marie
AM
Magnier
Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University and LA-SER Centre for Risk Research, Montreal, Canada. Electronic address: michel.rossignol@crr-intl.com.
Michel
M
Rossignol
Department of Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and LA-SER, London, UK. Electronic address: lucien.abenhaim@gmail.com.
Lucien
L
Abenhaim
INSERM U657, University of Bordeaux Segalen, Bordeaux, France. Electronic address: Bernard.Begaud@pharmaco.u-bordeaux2.fr.
Bernard
B
Begaud
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000529:Complementary Therapies; D005260:Female; D058006:General Practice; D006705:Homeopathy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058007:Physicians, Primary Care; D012017:Referral and Consultation
General practitioner; Homeopathy; Patient's decision making; Prescription drugs