Investigating the sociodemographic profile and health-related outcomes of chronically ill homeopathic patients: results from an observational multi-centered study in Bulgaria

BACKGROUND: The Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) field in Europe has been a focus of research developments and public health policy changes for years. However, these processes are still in their infancy phase in Bulgaria. In this paper, homeopathy is the investigated CAM-modality at a Bulgarian context. The aim is threefold: 1) to outline the sociodemographic profile of the chronically ill adult patients (≥18 years old) who choose homeopathic medical treatment (HMT); 2) To identify the patients’ sources and needs of information about homeopathy, and the reasons to use HMT; and 3) to measure health-related outcomes in patients who have visited homeopathic clinics to look for HMT of their chronic conditions. METHODS: A cross-sectional observational multi-centered study (≥18 years old, n = 211) was conducted between June 2016 to Dec. 2017 in Bulgaria. Potentially eligible participants for the study were all chronically ill patients who had been receiving HMT for a year or more and had visited the homeopathic clinics for a follow up within the study period. The EQ-5D-3L instrument was applied with an additional questionnaire on sociodemographic and health related data. RESULTS, DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The study results outlined the country specific sociodemographic profile of the chronically ill homeopathic patients in Bulgaria: they are predominantly female, with higher education and at the age groups between 30 and 50. The EQ-5D-3L version, was applied to measure patients’ health-related quality of life and to promote the use of a standardized generic instrument as a complementary and reliable scientific tool to assess the patient-reported outcomes of the homeopathic patients. Regarding the reasons of choice: the participants choose HMT because it is safe and mild, to avoid excessive antibiotic use, because the conventional treatment was not successful, etc. The study confirms the social demand for more scientific information about homeopathy. Participants stated that the medical universities’ curriculum should keep pace with the modern CAM-developments. A key message is that the future of the successful chronic disease management is in the integration of the conventional and CAM-modalities and these processes should be facilitated through public health regulations, education and research. The presented study is a supportive action in this direction.