[Omeo33] Art 0856 - Compl Health Practice Rev, 2008, 13 (1), 3-19

[Gino Santini]

Consumer Decision Factors for Initial and Long-Term Use of 
Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Fuschia M. Sirois, Rebecca J. Purc-Stephenson

Guided by the conceptual framework of the consumer decision-making 
model, the present study compared the factors associated with initial 
and long-term use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) 
providers. A survey was completed by 239 people recruited from the 
offices of physicians and CAM practitioners. Conventional medicine 
clients (n = 54), new or infrequent clients (n = 73), and established 
CAM clients (n = 112) were compared to identify the decision factors 
for initial and long-term CAM use. Consistent with the components of 
this model, we found support for the roles of external influences 
(age, social recommendations), decision process factors (symptom 
severity, egalitarian provider preference), and post-decision factors 
(dissatisfaction with conventional care) depending on whether the 
pattern of CAM use was new or infrequent or established. Overall, 
this study provides preliminary support for the utility of the 
consumer decision-making model as an integrative framework for 
understanding the roles of correlates of CAM use.

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