Biomaterial Database

[Homeopathic and primary care doctors: how they see each other and how they see their patients: results of a qualitative investigation]. 1998

C Calderón

Centro de Salud de Gómez de Alza, Donostia-San Sebastián.

OBJECTIVE To explore the views of Primary Care and homeopathic doctors in the same geographical and population catchment area towards Homeopathy as a discipline and the motives that bring patients to use its services. METHODS A qualitative study, using in-depth interviews and a focus group. METHODS A community of 18,000 inhabitants with a Health Centre and four homeopathic physicians. METHODS The four homeopathic physicians and nine of the ten doctors from the Health Centre. METHODS After face-to-face and later telephone interviews, each of the four homeopathic physicians was interviewed in depth and the author led a focus group with the 9 Health Centre doctors. RESULTS a) From the homeopaths: they emphasised an integrated patient-centred approach. They insisted on their status as doctors and that their treatment was not iatrogenic, etc. b) From PC doctors: They were ignorant of Homeopathy. They identified it with a type of remedy of which they knew nothing, but for which they demanded scientific evidence, etc. CONCLUSIONS PC doctors' ignorance of Homeopathy put them at risk of not understanding patients' expectations. It seems that the patient-centred, as against disease-centred, care model is, in practice, outside the scope of PC health delivery.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007722	Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice	Knowledge, attitudes, and associated behaviors which pertain to health-related topics such as PATHOLOGIC PROCESSES or diseases, their prevention, and treatment. This term refers to non-health workers and health workers (HEALTH PERSONNEL).	Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
D010818	Practice Patterns, Physicians'	Patterns of practice related to diagnosis and treatment as especially influenced by cost of the service requested and provided.	Clinical Practice Patterns,Physician's Practice Patterns,Clinical Practice Pattern,Pattern, Clinical Practice,Patterns, Clinical Practice,Practice Pattern, Clinical,Practice Patterns, Clinical,Practice Patterns, Physician's,Prescribing Patterns, Physician,Physician Practice Patterns,Physician Prescribing Pattern,Physician Prescribing Patterns,Physician's Practice Pattern,Physicians' Practice Pattern,Physicians' Practice Patterns,Practice Pattern, Physician's,Practice Pattern, Physicians',Practice Patterns, Physician,Prescribing Pattern, Physician
D011320	Primary Health Care	Care which provides integrated, accessible health care services by clinicians who are accountable for addressing a large majority of personal health care needs, developing a sustained partnership with patients, and practicing in the context of family and community. (JAMA 1995;273(3):192)	Primary Care,Primary Healthcare,Care, Primary,Care, Primary Health,Health Care, Primary,Healthcare, Primary
D002391	Catchment Area, Health	A geographic area defined and served by a health program or institution.	Health Service Area,Health Catchment Area,Service Area, Health,Area, Health Catchment,Area, Health Service,Areas, Health Catchment,Areas, Health Service,Catchment Areas, Health,Health Catchment Areas,Health Service Areas,Service Areas, Health
D006705	Homeopathy	A system of therapeutics founded by Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843), based on the Law of Similars where "like cures like". Diseases are treated by highly diluted substances that cause, in healthy persons, symptoms like those of the disease to be treated.	Homoeopathy
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D013030	Spain	Country located between France on the northeast and Portugal on the west and bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The capital is Madrid.	Balearic Islands,Canary Islands