Di Gangi Stefania, Markun Stefan, Rosemann Thomas, Plate Andreas
Institute of Primary Care, University and University Hospital of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
Patient Prefer Adherence. 2020 Dec 30;14:2531-2539. doi: 10.2147/PPA.S287881. eCollection 2020.
Sleeping disturbances are highly prevalent in the general population, and pharmacological drug treatment harbours the risk of serious side effects. Many affected persons use dietary supplements for self-treating their symptoms, but little is known about the specific characteristics and preferences of these patients. Even less evidence exists about the consequences of a specific dietary supplement usage on health care utilization. The aim of this study was to explore characteristics, preferences and the impact on health care utilization in patients using a specific over-the-counter dietary supplement, which is promoted for improving sleeping disturbances.
We conducted a structured survey and invited a sample of 297 customers of a specific dietary supplement to participate. The survey was open between June and September 2020. Participants were invited by email. All participants accepted an informed consent.
A total of 127 customers participated in the survey (participation rate: 42.8%). Of them, 87.7% were female and the mean age 50.5 years. Participants reported an overall good improvement of symptoms (7.66 on a ten-point Likert-scale) and showed a strong belief in the effectiveness of supplements in general; 67% of participants reported that the intake led to fever physician encounters, and 48.3% reported that they could stop the intake of other pharmaceutical sleeping drugs.
A significant proportion of participants reported a substantial reduction in pharmaceutical drug use and health care utilization. While these self-reports lack an adequate control, they are still real consumer experiences, and the large beneficial effects - whether placebo or not - explain the popularity of such supplements and their therapeutic potential in sleeping disorders.
睡眠障碍在普通人群中非常普遍，而药物治疗存在严重副作用的风险。许多患者使用膳食补充剂来自我治疗症状，但对于这些患者的具体特征和偏好知之甚少。关于特定膳食补充剂的使用对医疗保健利用的影响，证据更少。本研究的目的是探讨使用一种特定的非处方膳食补充剂（该补充剂被宣传可改善睡眠障碍）的患者的特征、偏好及其对医疗保健利用的影响。
我们进行了一项结构化调查，并邀请了297名特定膳食补充剂的客户样本参与。调查于2020年6月至9月期间开放。通过电子邮件邀请参与者。所有参与者均签署了知情同意书。
共有127名客户参与了调查（参与率：42.8%）。其中，87.7%为女性，平均年龄50.5岁。参与者报告症状总体有良好改善（在十分制李克特量表上为7.66分），并普遍对补充剂的有效性深信不疑；67%的参与者报告摄入该补充剂后看医生的次数减少，48.3%的参与者报告他们可以停止服用其他药物助眠剂。
相当一部分参与者报告药物使用和医疗保健利用大幅减少。虽然这些自我报告缺乏充分的对照，但它们仍是真实的消费者体验，而且这些巨大的有益效果——无论是否为安慰剂效应——解释了此类补充剂的受欢迎程度及其在睡眠障碍中的治疗潜力。
