How do parents of child patients compare consultations with homeopaths and physicians? A qualitative study.

OBJECTIVE

How do parents of child patients experience and compare consultations with homeopaths and physicians, and how do they describe an ideal consultation.

METHODS

A qualitative study with interviews of parents to 16 children who had consulted both a homeopaths and a physicians.

RESULTS

Comparing consultations with physicians and homeopaths, the parents experienced the homeopathic consultations to a greater extent to have a whole person approach, also described as a core factor in an ideal consultation. This approach included exhaustive questioning, longer consultations, more interaction with the child and looking for the underlying cause.

CONCLUSION

The parents in this study perceived that the homeopathic consultation had a whole person approach while consultations with most physicians focused on the symptoms. The homeopathic consultation was said to be more in line with what the parents perceived to be an ideal consultation for their children than consultation with physicians.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Treatment philosophy and the aim of the consultation are likely to play a larger part than the technical aspects in determining the form and content of a consultation. Training in communication could benefit from including discussions on how the practitioner's treatment philosophy influences the consultation behavior.