Inflammatory bowel disease patients' decisions to use complementary therapies: links to existing models of care

In this paper we present emergent categories of factors that influence inflammatory bowel disease patients' decisions to use complementary therapies and discuss similarities between this work and existing models of care.

This combined methods study consisted of a quantitative survey followed by qualitative interviews. The results of the qualitative interviews are reported in this article.

Major categories that emerged during qualitative analysis were the personal context (i.e. contextual issues that influenced the individual's experience of illness), impact (i.e. the impact that the experience of illness had on the individual), and action (i.e. actions taken to manage the individual's illness).

Research in the areas if complementary therapy, biopsychosocial models, and patient-centered care, point to the importance of patient-physician communication. Our findings with people who have inflammatory bowel disease are in alignment with this previous body of work. By investigating the reasons for using complementary therapies among people who have a chronic illness, we make a substantive contribution to a growing body of literature that supports the need for continued emphasis on strengthening patient-physician relationships.