How German general practitioners justify their provision of complementary and alternative medicine – a qualitative study

Ostermaier, Agnes; Barth, Niklas; Linde, Klaus

doi:10.1186/s12906-020-02907-6

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Concerning the enabling factors, health professionals were the most often mentioned NHP information source and an indicator for NHPCC usage. This finding supports the results of previous studies, suggesting the important role of health professionals, including pharmacists, in the healthcare system due to information distribution [ 30 , 31 , 88 ]. By providing professional health advice, including risk and safety information, pharmacists can encourage informed self-medication and informed and safer decision making for NHP.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Factors influencing the use of natural health products, in particular for concentration and cognition in Germany

Wolf,

Emberger-Klein,

Menrad

2024

BMC Complement Med Ther

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Background Natural health products (NHP) are an important part of the healthcare system. They are mainly non-prescription and sold over the counter, which requires active decision making by the consumer. Within the framework of the Complementary and Alternative Healthcare Model, this study aims to identify factors that influence NHP usage, in particular related to concentration and cognition (CC), a topic that concerns all ages and social classes within the population. Methods Data were collected by means of a representative online survey (n = 1,707) in Germany in April 2022. Three user groups were defined: NHPCC users, who used NHP for CC (12 month prevalence); nCC-NHP users, who used NHP but not for CC indications (12 month prevalence); and past NHP users, who have used NHP but not within the previous 12 months. Independent influencing variables were categorized into predisposing, enabling, need, and health service use factors. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, and binary logistic regression models to compare NHPCC users to nCC-NHP users (model 1) and to past NHP users (model 2). Results A higher share of NHPCC and nCC-NHP users compared to past NHP users were women, self-medicated with NHP, and used information about NHP provided by health professionals or on product. Their openness-to-change value orientation was more pronounced than of past users. Compared to nCC-NHP and past NHP users, the probability of being an NHPCC user increased if an individual had more difficulties in daily attention and memory performance, made use of health professionals and literature to seek information about NHP, and used NHP for health support and illness prevention. Additionally, a female gender, NHP self-medication, and having higher values of self-transcendence were significant indicators for NHPCC usage compared to past NHP usage. Conclusion NHP manufacturers, health professionals, and policymakers should be aware of the factors that lead to NHP consumption decisions and consider them in the development and optimization of healthcare strategies as well as in the marketing and communication strategies of companies producing NHP, in particular for CC. The current study can contribute to characterizing the target groups and to defining the aims and communication channels of such campaigns.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Factors influencing the use of natural health products, in particular for concentration and cognition in Germany

Wolf,

Emberger-Klein,

Menrad

2024

BMC Complement Med Ther

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“…vitamin supplements for deficiencies), DS generally falls outside evidence-based medicine. In a German qualitative study, GPs ( n = 20) who practiced CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) therapy expressed a strong focus on helping the individual patient, a strong belief in one’s own clinical experience; and appreciation for the placebo effect [ 41 ]. Our informants also supported the placebo effect of DS, and some were open to the idea that some DS may have genuine positive effects even though there is currently no scientific proof of that.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

General practitioners’ role in safeguarding patients with dementia in their use of dietary supplements. A qualitative study

Risvoll,

Risør,

Halvorsen

et al. 2023

Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care

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Objective The use of dietary supplements (DS) may cause harm through direct and indirect effects. Patients with dementia may be particularly vulnerable. This study aims to explore general practitioners’ (GPs’) experiences with DS use by these patients, the GPs perceived responsibilities, obstacles in taking on this responsibility, their attitudes toward DS, and suggestions for improvements to safeguard the use of DS in this patient group. Design Qualitative individual interview study conducted February - December 2019. Data were analysed using systematic text condensation. Setting Primary healthcare clinics in Norway. Subjects Fourteen Norwegian GPs. Findings None of the informants were dismissive of patients using DS. They were aware of the possible direct risks and had observed them in patients. Most GPs showed little awareness of potential indirect risks to patients with dementia who use DS. They acknowledged the need for caretaking of these patients. Although there were differences in practice styles, most of the GPs wished to help their patients safeguarding DS use but found it difficult due to the lack of quality assurance of product information. Furthermore, there were no effective ways for the GPs to document DS use in the patients’ records. Several suggestions for improvement were given by the GPs, such as increased attention from GPs, inclusion of DS in the prescription software, and stricter regulatory systems for DS from the authorities. Conclusion The GPs had initially little awareness of this safety risk, but there were differences in practice style and attitudes towards DS. The GPs did not perceive themselves as main responsible for safe use of DS in patient with dementia. The most important reason to disclaim responsibility was lack of information about the products. One suggestion for improvement was better integration of DS in patients’ medical record.

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“…Ayurveda is a comprehensive Whole Medical System ( 1 , 2 ) characterized by a person-centered approach (Patient Centered Medicine, PCM) with system inherent diagnosis and treatment modalities, especially dealing with health promotion, recommendations on nutrition and disease prevention ( 3 , 4 ). Ayurveda aims to shift focus from a disease-centered model to one centered on the well-being of each individual ( 5 , 6 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wellness or medicine? Use and perception of Ayurveda in Germany: data from an online-representative cross-sectional study

Schiele,

Jeitler,

Michalsen

et al. 2024

Front. Med.

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IntroductionAyurveda, South Asia’s largest and most relevant system of Traditional Medicine, holds a legal status akin to conventional Western medicine in India and elsewhere. There is an almost complete lack of data on the use of Ayurveda in Germany. The aim of this study was to investigate Ayurveda’s utilization patterns, entry points, and factors influencing its use and the perception of Ayurveda among the German population.MethodsBasis of this manuscript was an online-representative survey which involved 4,065 participants aged 18–75 about the use and acceptance of Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM) in Germany. The survey was conducted online using Computer Assisted Web Interview (CAWI) in 2022. The dataset was analyzed descriptively and inferentially.ResultsAltogether 9.3% (n = 377) of all survey participants (n = 4,065) had already used Ayurveda somehow, either more often (1.7%) or at least once in a lifetime (7.6%). Responders associated Ayurveda primarily with Indian Medicine (27.7%) and wellness (18%). Commonly used Ayurvedic services included non-medical treatments at wellness resorts/spas (48.3%), in outpatient practices (27.1%), and hotels (23.6%). 30.2% of the participants believe in Ayurveda’s therapeutic potential. 76.7% of Ayurveda users find healthy nutrition important or very important. Nine predictors were found to classify Ayurveda users vs. non-users with spirituality and belief in Ayurveda’s therapeutic efficacy as the most relevant ones. Ayurveda seems to be primarily used by well-educated and female individuals, often from higher-income groups and with a rather modern social milieu-orientation.ConclusionStudy results suggest that about every tenth German citizen has used Ayurveda in the past and about one third believes in its therapeutic potential. Because Ayurvedic therapies are often not evidence-based, there is an urgent need to perform high quality randomized controlled trials to investigate potential effects and safety of Ayurveda and how evidence-based Ayurveda treatments can be integrated into the German healthcare system.

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How German general practitioners justify their provision of complementary and alternative medicine – a qualitative study

Cited by 7 publications

References 23 publications

Factors influencing the use of natural health products, in particular for concentration and cognition in Germany

Factors influencing the use of natural health products, in particular for concentration and cognition in Germany

General practitioners’ role in safeguarding patients with dementia in their use of dietary supplements. A qualitative study

Wellness or medicine? Use and perception of Ayurveda in Germany: data from an online-representative cross-sectional study

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