Reasons for Patients' Nondisclosure of the Use of Complimentary and Alternative Medicine: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Complimentary and alternative medicines (CAM) are undergoing tremendous growth in popularity and revenue. Americans are currently spending billions of dollars to secure these therapies. Most are considered harmless, however, some patients are at risk for serious drug interactions, excessive dosing, or bypassing conventional treatments with demonstrated efficacy. Previous studies show the majority of CAM users are not discussing their use of CAM with their conventional practitioner. This study, using a phenomenological approach, attempted to examine the research question: "What factors influence a patient's decision to disclose their use of alternative medicine with their health care provider, and what, in their opinion, could health care providers do to enhance the exchange of this information?" A convenience sampling of six participants currently using both conventional and CAM approaches to health, were interviewed to explore their feelings and perceptions on the subject. Data were recorded and transcribed, followed by manual coding to identify major themes and related patterns. Half admitted to already discussing their use of alternative methods; others said they would do if provided the opportunity. One consistent these was that conventional practitioners are too closed-minded and lack knowledge of CAM. Other themes included the lack of time or interest on the part of the practitioner, excessive influence from the American Medical Association and pharmaceutical companies, and a heightened proactively in the CAM users' pursuit of wellness that often included independent information gathering and the expenditure and large amounts of money. An additional emerging theme was how communication between practitione and patient could be improved, which has meaning to all health care poviders, including nurse practitioners in the primary care setting.