[Omeo33] Art 0788 - Homeopathy, 2007, 96 (4), 243-246

[Gino Santini]

Setting standards in homeopathic practice-A pre-audit exploring 
motivation and expectation for patients attending the Bristol 
Homeopathic Hospital
EA Thompson, J Dahr, M Susan and S Barron

Objective - To set a standard of routine goal setting with patients 
within their package of care at the Bristol Homeopathic Hospital. We 
hope goal setting will improve communication with our patients and 
health professional colleagues, focus outcome and improve targeting 
of problems. We therefore explored motivation for and expectation of 
hospital attendance from a patient perspective.
Materials and methods - Questionnaire based pre-audit survey. The 
questionnaire was administered to 110 consecutive patients attending 
outpatients and 20 parents of children attending with asthma and 
eczema to gain understanding of motivation and expectation and more 
specific information for two of the commonest conditions.
Results - Seventy percent of patients had used some form of 
complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), 35% had used homeopathy 
and only 10% had specialist homeopathic care, the majority of use 
being over the counter. The majority of patients had been encouraged 
by their General Practitioners, themselves and by word of mouth with 
family and friends. Few patients cited the media as a major 
influence. "Pull" factors such as "treating the whole person" were 
given greater emphasis except for parents of children with asthma and 
eczema for whom "push" factors such as fear of steroid side effects 
predominated. In the main patient expectations were reasonable with 
the majority hoping to see improvements in their conditions. A fifth 
of patients hoped to reduce conventional medications.
Conclusions - Patients had used CAM in general but not homeopathy in 
particular. Encouragement from doctors, self motivation and word of 
mouth most motivated patients to come and might suggest more direct 
communication with General Practitioners would be worthwhile. Being 
treated as a whole person was the most significant motivating factor, 
with a significant number of patients wishing to reduce medication. 
Goal setting and direct communication with other healthcare 
professionals is essential for safety, to focus outcome, and to value 
the role of homeopathy in a patient's healthcare. As a result we have 
set a standard whereby treatment goals are agreed with patients and 
communicated to referring health care professionals at each 
outpatient visit. This could be audited.

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