Complementary/alternative therapies use in older women with arthritis: Information sources and factors influencing dialog with health care providers

Mapping Evidence-Based Non-Opioid and Non-Pharmacological Pain Management Modalities Across Minnesota: The Non-Opioid Pain Alleviation Information Network Project

Objective: The Non-Opioid Pain Alleviation Information Network (NOPAINMN) project was designed to identify, consolidate, and map evidence-based non-opioid and non-pharmacological pain management complementary and integrative health (CIH) modalities for chronic pain management across Minnesota into a searchable and informational website (www.nopainmn.org ). Methods: The Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine & Health's Pain Task Force White Paper identifying evidence-based research of non-pharmacological pain practice (NPPC) was reviewed and referenced. National and state certifying boards and accrediting organizations for NPPC modalities were accessed to identify Minnesota-based NPPC providers' name, business/health-system affiliation, address, contact information, and credentials. The NOPAINMN website displays these data in a consumer-facing website with searchable fields such as NPPC modality type, and location with varying distances. The website was β-tested by practitioners and stakeholders for optimization. Eight main NPPC modalities and their respective subcategories were identified and mapped: Acupuncture; Integrative Medical Care (Functional medicine consultation and Integrative medicine consultation); Massage Therapy; Mind-Body Therapies (Biofeedback, Clinical Hypnosis, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, and Music Therapy); Movement Therapies (Tai Chi, qigong, and Yoga Therapy); Psychology (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy); Rehabilitative Therapies (Physical and Occupational Therapy); and Spinal Manipulation. Results: All information compiled resulted in 17,155 providers/practitioners. Physical Therapy had the greatest number of reported providers (n = 5224), followed by Occupational Therapy (n = 3792), Psychology (n = 3324), Chiropractic (n = 3033), Acupuncture (n = 591), and Massage Therapy (n = 544). The Resource Map included 56 major health systems, 686 facilities, 2651 solo or private group practices, and 14 academic training schools. With web-based cross-referencing, providers and facilities were affiliated and linked with health systems to produce an interconnected mapping system. β-Testing with patients found that the website was reported as relatively easy to use and informative. Conclusion: The website was created to assist individuals, health care providers, insurance carriers, and health care facilities in finding evidence-based information and resources on NPPC to guide, support, and proactively manage and engage chronic pain patients across Minnesota.

A comprehensive approach to complementary and alternative medicine usage among patients from a vascular department

INTRODUCTION

Use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies had been described in patients with disabling, chronic and painful conditions; these characteristics define the majority of vascular surgery (VS) entities. A lack of disclosure about CAM use from patients has been universally cited and may impact effective patient-doctor communication. Our primary objective was to describe CAM use, modalities, perceived benefits, safety, and associated factors among adult patients attending a VS outpatient clinic; we additionally explored patient's attitudes about CAM disclosure with their primary vascular surgeon.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study invited 223 consecutive outpatients to an interview where the ICAM-Q (International Complementary and Alternative Medicine Questionnaire) and the PDRQ-9 (Patient-Doctor Relationship Questionnaire-9 items) were applied. In addition, sociodemographics, vascular disease and treatment-related information, comorbidity, and disease severity characteristics were obtained. Appropriated statistics was used; multiple logistic regression analysis identified factors associated to CAM use. All statistical tests were two-sided, and a p value ≤ 0.05 was considered significant. IRB approval was obtained.

RESULTS

Patients recruited were primary females (69%) and had a median age of 65 years (54-75). Most frequent vascular diagnoses were chronic venous insufficiency (36.2%) and peripheral artery disease (26%). There were 104 (46.6%) patients who referred CAM use, primarily self-helped practices (96%), and use of herbal, vitamins, or homeopathic medicines (23.7%). Overall, the majority of the patients perceived CAM modalities helpful and 94.6% denied any adverse event. Female sex (OR: 1.768, 95% CI: 0.997-3.135, p = 0.051) and hospitalization during the previous year (OR: 3.173, 95% CI: 1.492-6.748, p = 0.003) were associated to CAM use. The majority of the patients (77%) agreed about CAM disclosure with their primary vascular surgeon; meanwhile, among CAM users, up to 54.9% did not disclose it, and their main reasons were "Doctor didn't ask" (32%) and "I consider it unnecessary" (16%). The patient-doctor relationship was rated by the patients with high scores.

CONCLUSIONS

CAM use is frequent and perceived as safe and beneficial among VS outpatients; nonetheless, patients do not disclose CAM use with their primary vascular surgeons, and a wide range of reasons are given by the patients that prevent effective and open communication.

Association of significant risk perception with the use of complementary and alternative medicine: A cross-sectional study in Hispanic patients with rheumatoid arthritis

BACKGROUND

Risk perception (RP) describes patient´s judgment of the likelihood of experiencing something unpleasant, and has been associated to the adoption of health behaviors. Current rheumatoid arthritis (RA) guidelines recommend early and intensive treatment, although patients also commonly use Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). We aimed to investigate if significant RP was associated to CAM use in Hispanic RA outpatients and to describe additional associated factors.

METHODS

Between March and August 2019, 266 consecutive outpatients were invited to a face-to-face interview to collect socio-demographic and RA-related information, to assess comorbidity and the following patient-reported-outcomes: pain, overall-disease and treatment adherence with visual analogue scales, disease activity with RAPID-3, RP with a validated questionnaire, and CAM use with a translated and cross-culturally adapted for Argentina version of the International CAM questionnaire. Medical records were reviewed to corroborate the data provided by the patients. CAM use definition was restricted to "in the last 3 months". Significant RP was defined based on published cut-off. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to investigate factors associated to CAM use. The study received IRB approval.

RESULTS

There were 246 patients included, primarily middle-aged women, with substantial disease duration, moderate disease activity and 70 patients (28.5%) had significant RP. Two hundreds patients (81.3%) were CAM users. Significant RP (OR: 2.388, 95%CI: 1.044-5.464, p = 0.039) and access to Federal health care system (OR: 2.916, 95%CI: 1.081-7.866, p = 0.035) were associated to CAM use.

CONCLUSIONS

Patient´s perception of RA-related negative consequences was associated to recent CAM use in Hispanic RA outpatients.

Attitudes, Provider and Treatment Selection of Complementary and Integrative Health among Individuals with Pain-Related Conditions

Complementary and integrative therapies are used by people to address many conditions, including pain-related conditions. There has been concern about the quality of online health information, including information pertaining to complementary and integrative health (CIH). In this qualitative interview study, we sought to investigate how individuals interact with CIH-related information online and how this might affect their subsequent behavior. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 individuals with chronic pain conditions. We report findings based on three main themes: individuals' beliefs about CIH; approach to CIH, including how people view provider information and personalize their CIH use strategy; and factors that affect trust in the information encountered. Overall, study participants believed there was value in CIH therapies and that treatments were effective. Many described experiences that had influenced their views of complementary therapies over time. We also found that individuals form impressions of CIH providers based on structural and personal characteristics, particularly cost and proximity, that are conveyed in information to which they are exposed. These findings have various implications. First, over time individuals with chronic pain conditions develop their own beliefs and attitudes, which play a role in their selection of providers and modalities relating to CIH. Health care providers should consider how people view information relating to, and make decisions about, CIH therapies and work collaboratively with patients to develop effective health management strategies. Information services should also consider patients' perspectives in developing websites and other informational materials.

Use of Animal and Animal Products for Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment: An Explorative Study in Odisha, India

Severe fatigue, pain, deformity, and disability, are the major concerns for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The extreme pain experienced by the patients often force them to experiment with various indigenous substances including animals and animal products. However, there is little evidence on the use of animals or animal products as traditional medicine in RA. Hence, this study was aimed to explore the experience and perception of patients toward the use of animals and animal products for the treatment of RA. A qualitative, explorative study was conducted at the out-patient-department of Rheumatology of a tertiary care medical college and hospital at Cuttack, Odisha, India. Out of 113 patients with RA, 18 patients gave history of use of animal and/or animal products and were selected for in-depth interviews. The content analysis methods were used for data analysis. Four major categories emerged: (1) prevailing patterns of traditional treatment of RA using animals, (2) beliefs and values behind the traditional treatment of RA, (3) sources and traditional learning pathway of indigenous practices on RA, and (4) ethical aspects of the indigenous practice of using animals and/or animal products in the treatment of RA. This study revealed the practice of eating dead animals to get relief from RA. However, there was hardly any perceived positive outcome of the practice; which indicates the lack of awareness of rational, scientific, treatment, and prevalence of irrational and unethical practices for the treatment of RA. Hence, community awareness, social mobilization, and newer screening tools are necessary to improve the timely detection and prevention of irrational treatment practices among RA patients.

Care-seeking pathways, care challenges, and coping experiences of rural women living with rheumatoid arthritis in Odisha, India

AIM

The aim of the study was to explore the care-seeking pathway of rural women living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and attending a tertiary health-care facility in Odisha, India.

BACKGROUND

RA is the third leading chronic health condition and causes severe pain and immense psychosocial stress. The prevalence of RA is three to four times higher in women than in men. Furthermore, in India, women delay care seeking due to the prevailing sociocultural norms. Women report more severe symptoms and greater disability; however, there is a lack of information on their care-seeking pathways.

METHOD

We conducted 113 in-depth interviews among RA patients those who visited specialists at the outpatients' Department of Rheumatology, SCB Medical College Hospital, a tertiary care hospital in Cuttack, Odisha, India. The grounded theory approaches were used for data analysis.

FINDINGS

The key findings included physical pain and psychosocial stress in relation to RA, cultural issues in relation to RA, mapping of the health-care providers for RA, the first point of cares and changes in care-seeking pathways, the perceived challenge for seeking health-care, and coping strategies of patients and social supports. This study explored that the RA patients seek care from multiple providers - untrained, trained and specialist without any gatekeeping. However, the primary health centers were the first point of care for maximum patients due to accessibility and affordability. Furthermore, follow-up care is significant to prevent complication among RA patients; the primary health centers are the gateway for keeping RA patients. Hence, the availability of RA trained providers at primary health center including interprofessional care, such as physiotherapy providers, and proper referral system is essential to convalesce care-seeking pathways.