Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies
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Focus Alternat Complement Ther©2005 Pharmaceutical Press
Focus Altern Complement Ther 2002; 7: 95
To explore the research issues arising from a small pilot study of the cost effectiveness of complementary therapy in primary care.
As part of a larger evaluation study, use of healthcare services of a small sample of patients with chronic health problems (n = 40) was examined for the year before and after receiving complementary therapy treatments. Costs were attributed to this and compared with the costs of the complementary therapy treatment received.
The reduction in costs in prescriptions, GP visits and referral to secondary care following treatment was roughly equivalent to the cost of complementary therapy treatment, with the main savings taking place in those that were high users of services before treatment, and in referrals to secondary care.
This small exploratory study suggests that provision of complementary therapies in primary care may be costneutral. Given considerable interest in this area, it is important for this work to be replicated on a larger scale and with an appropriate control group. However, this is likely to present a considerable challenge, both practically and in terms of research design.
