Evaluation of Certified Homeopathy in Switzerland – Design of the PEK Study

The PEK study will provide sufficient data to facilitate politicians' definite decision on the further inclusion of these five methods in reimbursable health.

Five methods of complementary medicine (CAM), anthroposophical medicine, homeopathy, neural therapy, herbal medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM-phytotherapy), are included in mandatory health insurance in Switzerland since July 1999, validated until June 2005, if practised by certified physicians FMH (Foederatio Medicorum Helveticorum, Swiss Medical Association).

The Complementary Medicine Evaluation Program (PEK Study) has to evaluate the effectiveness, suitability and economy of these methods. It is a research initiative of the Swiss Parliament, carried out by the Federal Office for Social Insurance, conducted by A&MP consultants, and several institutes of the Universities of Berne and Witten-Herdecke, Germany, respectively.

The PEK Study will provide sufficient data to facilitate politicians definite decision on the inclusion of these five methods in reimbursable health.

The study consists of four parts:

• A review of the literature will focus on the effectiveness of these CAM methods. Comparative studies deal with homeopathy, herbal medicine and TCM-phytotherapy. Health technology assessment reports are conducted for all five methods. The PEK steering committee emphasizes to the suitability of the techniques employed.

• A recently added study (component Ia) will assess the complementary and alternative care provided in Swiss hospitals.

• The cross-sectional study (component I) analyses the structure of general practitioners practices in Switzerland. Far more than 650 physicians performing conventional, complementary or alternative primary care were evaluated and compared, providing data of technical equipment, education and training, experience, purpose, and philosophy of care.

• A longitudinal study (component II) provides demographic data about the patients social status, the reasons for the visit to doctors clinics, the severity and duration of illness, former treatments and their outcome, and the motives to see a specialized or a particular doctor. Patients and doctors fill out separate questionnaires concerning the respective consultation. Four weeks later, patients are asked by a second questionnaire about their treatment satisfaction. Both doctors and patients answer separately to what extent therapeutic goals were achieved. Over twelve months, 333 physicians asked all their patients on four predetermined days for participation in the study, resulting in 14,800 consultations.

The results will be available spring, 2005.

Korrespondierender Autor: Dr. Klaus von Ammon, Institute of Complementary Medicine, University of Berne, Imhoof-Pavillon, Inselspital, CH-3010 Bern, Switzerland

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