[Omeo33] Art 1046 - eCAM, 2009, doi: 10.1093/ecam/nep153

[Gino Santini]

The Use of Intuition in Homeopathic Clinical Decision Making: An  
Interpretative Phenomenological Study
Sarah Brien, Bridget Dibb and Alex Burch

While intuition plays a role in clinical decision making within  
conventional medicine, little is understood about its use in  
complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The aim of this  
qualitative study was to investigate intuition from the perspective of  
homeopathic practitioners; its’ manifestation, how it was recognized,  
its origins and when it was used within daily clinical practice. Semi- 
structured interviews were carried out with clinically experienced non- 
National Health Service (NHS) UK homeopathic practitioners.  
Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to analyze the data.  
Homeopaths reported many similarities with conventional medical  
practitioner regarding the nature, perceived origin and manifestation  
of their intuitions in clinical practice. Intuition was used in two  
key aspects of the consultation: (i) to enhance the practitioner– 
patient relationship, these were generally trusted; and (ii)  
intuitions relating to the prescribing decision. Homeopaths were  
cautious about these latter intuitions, testing any intuitive thoughts  
through deductive reasoning before accepting them. Their reluctance is  
not surprising given the consequences for patient care, but we propose  
this also reflects homeopaths’ sensitivity to the academic and medical  
mistrust of both homeopathy and intuition. This study is the first to  
explore the use of intuition in decision making in any form of  
complementary medicine. The similarities with conventional  
practitioners may provide confidence in validating intuition as a  
legitimate part of the decision making process for these specific  
practitioners. Further work is needed to elucidate if these findings  
reflect intuitive use in clinical practice of other CAM practitioners  
in both private and NHS (i.e. time limited) settings.

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