Patient education and counseling · 2026
Trust, expectations and risk perceptions in homeopathic self-medication among Italian users: Evidence from a cross-sectional survey.
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Gagliardi Lorenzo
Аннотация
OBJECTIVES: Self-medication in homeopathy may pose significant risks to users' health by bypassing the essential role of physicians in diagnosis and treatment. This study investigates how self-medication practices and trust in advisory information sources (e.g., pharmacists, peers, self-research) are associated with users' perceptions of homeopathic treatment effectiveness and associated risks.
METHODS: In this cross-sectional survey, a convenience sample of 157 participants recruited through online Italian communities of homeopathic users, participants were presented with a hypothetical homeopathic product and measured their expectations of its effectiveness, among other psychological scales. Differences based on recent CAM consultation and source of product recommendation were examined using two-sample Welch's t-tests with unequal variances, and associations were assessed through multiple linear regression models.
RESULTS: Trust in pharmacists emerged as the strongest predictor of expectations (β = 0.44), followed by subjective norms (β = 0.22), with the final regression model explaining approximately 55% of the variance in expectations (R² = 0.55). Participants who had not recently consulted a CAM professional or who relied on non-homeopath sources reported higher perceived effectiveness and lower risk perceptions related to homeopathic consumption.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that informational and interpersonal contexts are associated with expectations and risk perceptions related to homeopathic treatments.
PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: These findings suggest that communication strategies should differentiate between advisory and diagnostic roles within healthcare. While pharmacists play a crucial advisory function and are often the most accessible health professionals, reinforcing the importance of medical evaluation for diagnosis and treatment planning remains essential to prevent inappropriate reliance on over-the-counter homeopathic products.
METHODS: In this cross-sectional survey, a convenience sample of 157 participants recruited through online Italian communities of homeopathic users, participants were presented with a hypothetical homeopathic product and measured their expectations of its effectiveness, among other psychological scales. Differences based on recent CAM consultation and source of product recommendation were examined using two-sample Welch's t-tests with unequal variances, and associations were assessed through multiple linear regression models.
RESULTS: Trust in pharmacists emerged as the strongest predictor of expectations (β = 0.44), followed by subjective norms (β = 0.22), with the final regression model explaining approximately 55% of the variance in expectations (R² = 0.55). Participants who had not recently consulted a CAM professional or who relied on non-homeopath sources reported higher perceived effectiveness and lower risk perceptions related to homeopathic consumption.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that informational and interpersonal contexts are associated with expectations and risk perceptions related to homeopathic treatments.
PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: These findings suggest that communication strategies should differentiate between advisory and diagnostic roles within healthcare. While pharmacists play a crucial advisory function and are often the most accessible health professionals, reinforcing the importance of medical evaluation for diagnosis and treatment planning remains essential to prevent inappropriate reliance on over-the-counter homeopathic products.