Development and preliminarily validation of the Complementary Medicine Disclosure Index

Area of Science:

• Integrative Medicine
• Health Communication
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Non-disclosure of complementary medicine (CM) use to healthcare providers poses significant health risks.
• Existing research lacks a standardized, validated instrument to assess the reasons behind CM disclosure behavior.
• Effective patient-practitioner communication is crucial for safe and integrated healthcare.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel index measuring the relative importance of reasons for complementary medicine (CM) disclosure and non-disclosure to doctors.
• To provide a psychometrically sound tool for assessing patient disclosure behaviors in clinical settings.
• To enhance understanding of factors influencing patient communication regarding CM use.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Complementary Alternative Medicine Use Health Literacy Disclosure Study (N=2019).
• Developed the Complementary Medicine Disclosure Index (CMDI) employing a formative measurement approach.
• Assessed measurement model adequacy using variance-based structural equation modeling (SEM) with partial least squares (PLS).

Main Results:

• The CMDI comprises two second-order measurement models, each with three sub-domains.
• The index demonstrated acceptable construct validity, confirming its utility in identifying reasons for CM disclosure behavior.
• Analysis confirmed the significance and relevance of formative indicators to their primary constructs.

Conclusions:

• The Complementary Medicine Disclosure Index (CMDI) offers a preliminary yet valuable tool for quantifying the importance of reasons behind CM disclosure decisions.
• This validated index can aid researchers and clinicians in understanding patient communication patterns regarding complementary medicine.
• Findings support the development of targeted interventions to improve patient-practitioner communication and enhance patient safety.