Measuring Patient-Reported Use and Outcomes From Complementary and Integrative Health Therapies: Development of the...

Area of Science:

• Complementary and Integrative Health
• Health Services Research
• Patient-Reported Outcomes

Background:

• Assessing complementary and integrative health (CIH) therapies presents challenges due to varied usage, unclear dosing, diverse outcomes, and descriptive difficulties.
• Existing surveys lack the comprehensiveness to address these complexities in CIH therapy assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a comprehensive, longitudinal electronic survey for assessing CIH therapy use and patient outcomes.
• To address the complexities in measuring CIH therapy effectiveness and patient experiences within a large healthcare system.

Main Methods:

• Developed the "Complementary and Integrative Health Therapy Patient Experience Survey" based on literature, expert, and patient input.
• Conducted cognitive testing and interviews for validity checks.
• Administered the electronic survey to 15,608 Veterans with chronic pain, comparing self-reports with electronic medical records (EMR) for validation.

Main Results:

• The 64-item survey captured CIH dosing, delivery, provider, and payor details, alongside 7 patient-reported outcomes and 3 mediators.
• The survey averaged 17 minutes for completion with a 45.3% baseline response rate.
• High concordance was observed between patient self-reports and EMR data for CIH utilization, with an exception for meditation.

Conclusions:

• Valid assessment of patient-reported CIH therapy use and outcomes is achievable despite inherent complexities.
• The developed survey provides a robust tool for quality improvement efforts in CIH therapy within the Veterans Health Administration.