Patient preference for integrating homeopathy (PPIH) and attitude and satisfaction following integration within mainstream healthcare settings in West Bengal, India: the part 2 (PPIH‐2) study

Background In India, complementary and alternative medicine ( CAM ) therapies, namely ayurveda, yoga, unani, siddha, homeopathy and amchi/sowa‐rigpa/Tibetan medicine ( AYUSH ), are being integrated into mainstream health care; however, public opinion on this integrated model has not been evaluated. Objectives To evaluate patients' satisfaction following integration of homeopathy into mainstream health care, attitudes towards integrated services and satisfaction following consultation with homeopaths. Methods A cross‐sectional survey was undertaken in November 2014 involving 456 patients visiting five integrated homeopathy clinics across four northern districts in West Bengal, India. A 14‐item self‐administered questionnaire, comprising four‐point Likert scale response sets (i.e. 1 = strongly disagree to 4 = strongly agree) and written in local vernacular Bengali, was used to address the above objective. Results Of the patients surveyed, 98.8% were satisfied with the integrated services and disclosed a high level of satisfaction (86.3% of maximum score) following consultation with homeopaths. Although the patients preferred that allopaths to have knowledge of homeopathy, they did not prefer them to prescribe homeopathic medicines. In‐house referrals were found to be compromised. Higher educational status and referrals seemed to influence satisfaction and attitude scores significantly ( P <0.05), while satisfaction scores following consultation remained uninfluenced by suspected variables. Conclusion When formulating strategies for integrated CAM models in India, patient preferences should be evaluated with reasonable importance.