Perceived Effectiveness of Alternative Medical Therapies
Kristin L. Dragan
Miami University
Abstract
The current study is designed to examine perceptions of the efficacy of various alternative medical treatments. It is the third study in a series of ongoing studies about attitudes toward alternative medicine in the United States. Past research indicates that alternative medicine is widely used and accepted in Europe and many Eastern cultures that value a holistic approach to medicine. It has been estimated that about 75% of abnormal medical symptoms are being treated outside of the professional health care sector in Britain (Wadsworth, Butterfield, & Blaney, 1977). In addition, several studies of patients who have opted for alternative care in Britain report much higher levels of satisfaction and control concerning their treatment, than a comparison group of patients who opted for traditional health care (Furnham & Forey, 1994; Furnham & Bhagrath, 1993).
Typically, alternative medical practices are not taught in medical schools in the United States, and most medical doctors reject the ideas posited by alternative healers because of the strong adherence to biomedicine. Over the past 25 years, however, a shift in attitudes has been observed in the U.S., whereby individuals are increasingly willing to try alternative medicine, perhaps reflecting a desire to return to a more natural lifestyle. A recent telephone survey (Eisenberg, Kessler, Foster, Norlock, Calkins, & Delbanco, 1993) indicates that 34% of respondents had used at least one kind of unconventional therapy in 1990, and that willingness to try alternative medicine was not limited to any particular demographic group.
Very few studies have assessed attitudes toward alternative medicine in the United States. The current study attempts to answer some of the questions surrounding alternative care, by examining the sources of information that are used most often in making health care decisions, and the perceived efficacy of alternative therapies for specific diseases. The methodology is similar to one used in Vincent & Furnham’s (1994) study. Participants will be given questionnaires that assess the kinds of informational sources they use in making health care choices (friends, relatives, media, doctors, published works, advertisements, etc.) and they will be asked to rate several medical therapies for their effectiveness (on 7 point scales) in treating 25 common medical conditions. The five medical therapies assessed in this study are acupuncture, herbalism, homeopathy, osteopathy, and traditional medicine. Participants will be given brief descriptions of each of these treatments in case they are unfamiliar with them.
I am interested in how the effectiveness ratings of these therapies will differ depending on the type of medical condition for which it is being proposed, from psychological problems (depression, nerves, stress, etc.) and minor medical illnesses (allergies, skin problems, the common cold, etc.) to more serious, potentially life-threatening conditions (heart attack, cancer, arthritis, etc.). It is predicted that the sources of information used most when assessing health options will be friends, relatives, and personal accounts. Because of the wide acceptance of the biomedical model in the United States, it is hypothesized that traditional medical treatment will be rated as the most effective across all conditions. In addition, it is expected that traditional medicine will be perceived as the most efficacious for psychological problems as well, which contradicts findings from the Vincent & Furnham (1994) study, in which they found that hypnosis was perceived as the most effective treatment for psychological problems. The reason for this difference between cultures may be due to the overwhelming use of prescription medications that are used to treat depression and anxiety in the U.S. Future research will examine the cognitive processes that are responsible for these impressions about alternative medicine and will explore attitudes of patients in the United States that are choosing alternative health care.
For more information on this study, please contact:
Kristin L. Dragan (513) 529-2400
Benton Hall
Miami University
Oxford, Ohio 45056
References
Chernin, D.K. (1985). Holistic medicine: Its goals, models, and historical roots. In D. Kunz (Ed.), Spiritual aspects of the healing arts. Wheaton IL: The Theosophical Publishing House.
Eisenberg, D.M., Kessler, R.C., Foster, C., Norlock, F.E., Calkins, D.R., & Delbanco, T.L. (1993). Unconventional medicine in the United States. The New England Journal of Medicine, 328, 4, 246-252.
Engel, G. (1977). The need for a new medical model: A challenge for biomedicine. Science, 196, 129-136.
Vincent, C. & Furnham, A. (1994). The perceived efficacy of complementary and orthodox medicine: preliminary findings and the development of a questionnaire. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 2, 128-134.
Back to Top
Back to Other Student Reseach Proposals
Back to Course Homepage