What physicians can learn from consumers of dietary supplements

Many Americans consume dietary supplements, including vitamins, minerals, herbs, and amino acids. Government regulation of dietary supplements is limited, and patients typically do not consult with their physicians regarding the use of supplements.

We conducted a qualitative study to describe patients' decisions about the use of dietary supplements and the communication they have with their physicians about such use. Four focus groups of customers from 3 local suburban health food stores were interviewed.

The customers in the health food stores we investigated were motivated to pursue wellness and wanted to take responsibility for their health. They would welcome a partnership with their physicians, but generally believed that physicians are closed-minded and have little knowledge about dietary supplements. These consumers determined the effectiveness of dietary supplements through personal study and subjective experimentation.

The health food store customers in our study were self-informed consumers who did not consult their physicians about their use of dietary supplements, because they did not believe that physicians were knowledgeable about or interested in supplements. An open-minded patient-centered approach would help physicians provide better care for patients who use dietary supplements.