alternative medicine preferred by patients

"ULTIMATELY ARE DRUGS POISON." - ABOUT THREE-QUARTERS OF MEDICAL PATIENTS PREFER ALTERNATIVE MEDICINES Source: Homeopathic News As the German population stands to conventional drugs? And what are the causes of poor patient adherence to therapy, the so-called non-compliance? These issues are addressed by the current health-monitor 2011, the Bertelsmann Foundation. The topic is at least economically relevant to the health care system: the direct costs of non-compliance were estimated annually for Germany in a study late 90s to 7-10 billion € - these are costs for hospital stays, home care or emergency admissions.The real economic damage would be much higher, indirect costs such as lost productivity and absenteeism were not considered. The representative survey is being launched with a high demand: The goal is to collect information about the changes to the German health and development of more concrete reform proposals, the foundation. Based on approximately 1,800 interviews with people aged between 18 and 79 years presented to the Health Monitor key findings: Striking is a significantly negative pronounced attitude of patients to drugs that culminates in the statement: "Ultimately, they are poison." More than half of the respondents agree. Conventional drugs are perceived primarily as a necessary evil. 82 percent say "I do not like drugs. If I get along without them, I would omit it. "Over 60 percent complain that physicians rely too often on drugs and prescribe them too often. In contrast confess over three-quarters of the respondents for their preference for "softer" alternative medical remedies. "The risk of non-compliance is 1.6 times larger in case of insufficient medical information about side effects, 1.9 times as large at a generalized negative attitudes towards drugs and three times as large at an unfavorable assessment of the last administered drug "according to the Bertelsmann Foundation. The medical information about
prescription drugs are a very key factor influencing adherence to therapy. Every fifth patient health monitor according to "very strong" or "somewhat strong" fears and uncertainties due to the behavior of possible side effects of his medication. The find, according to Health Monitor general discomfort of large populations to medication without a doubt, a rational explanation: "Negative, both physically and psychologically unpleasant experience of side effects with one drug can be generalized and cause reservations and fears about other drugs." "Basically, the discomfort of patients medically eligible," says Cornelia Bajic, Chairman of the German Association of Homeopathic Physicians, as every physician knows, "prescribed by a doctor to his patient several prescription drugs that he is leaving already the ground of evidence-based medicine - in this case, there are usually no reliable survey data on exchange-and side-effects," said Bajicon. For lack of awareness of the patient by the physician writes the Bertelsmann Foundation, a doctor, "not natural" could spare the time, sufficient information about a drug and its side effects. The lack of knowledge of patients about drugs then run over hidden risks are often not understood to exaggerated fears. "The general reservations about drugs (" ultimately poison ") can be interpreted in this context at least partially as a half-sediments and ignorance," says the Foundation. To promote compliance should monitor the health information sessions, written information, personal phone calls, reminder calls, pill boxes, trays and special counseling for patients who have already made relevant negative experiences with drugs. "These funds fall short," said Bajic. All that is needed to increase compliance does not ensure that patients take their drugs good. "The patient wants an integrative medicine, which reacts with different treatment methods on their individual disease situation," said Bajic. This is close enough time and education for patients with one, which creates a high level of confidence about treatment adherence. "Not least against the background of the enormous savings potential that the policy is required to create meaningful framework for integrative medicine in Germany, for which the DZVhÄ using for years."