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Health care and consumer choice: Medical and alternative therapies

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  • Kelner, Merrijoy
  • Wellman, Beverly

Abstract

This paper reports on research conducted in a large Canadian city during 1994-1995. The study examines the motivations of patients who choose to seek care from one of five different types of practitioners: family physicians, chiropractors, acupuncturists/traditional Chinese doctors, naturopaths and Reiki practitioners. We use the Andersen socio-behavioural model to help explain why people choose orthodox medicine or a type of alternative care. The data are derived from face to face interviews with 300 patients: 60 from each of the five modes of treatment. The findings demonstrate that this model can explain the use of alternative as well as orthodox medical services. Patients choose specific kinds of practitioners for particular problems, and some use a mixture of practitioners to treat a specific complaint. The choice of type of practitioner(s) is multidimensional and cannot solely be explained either by disenchantment with medicine or by an "alternative ideology".

Suggested Citation

  • Kelner, Merrijoy & Wellman, Beverly, 1997. "Health care and consumer choice: Medical and alternative therapies," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 45(2), pages 203-212, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:45:y:1997:i:2:p:203-212
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Fishman, Jennifer R. & Flatt, Michael A. & Settersten, Richard A., 2015. "Bioidentical hormones, menopausal women, and the lure of the “natural” in U.S. anti-aging medicine," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 79-87.
    2. Éva Rásky & Willibald-Julius Stronegger & Wolfgang Freidl, 1999. "Nutzung unkonventioneller Heilverfahren bei Krebserkrankungen," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 44(1), pages 22-29, January.
    3. Chiu, Stephen W.K. & Ko, Lisanne S.F. & Lee, Rance P.L., 2005. "Decolonization and the movement for institutionalization of Chinese medicine in Hong Kong: a political process perspective," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(5), pages 1045-1058, September.
    4. Yen Yen Sally Rahayu & Tetsuya Araki & Dian Rosleine, 2021. "Predictors of the Use of Traditional Medicines in the Universal Health Coverage System in Indonesia," Global Journal of Health Science, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 13(6), pages 1-24, June.
    5. Cartwright, Tina, 2007. "'Getting on with life': The experiences of older people using complementary health care," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 64(8), pages 1692-1703, April.
    6. Adams, Annmarie & Theodore, David & Goldenberg, Ellie & McLaren, Coralee & McKeever, Patricia, 2010. "Kids in the atrium: Comparing architectural intentions and children's experiences in a pediatric hospital lobby," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 70(5), pages 658-667, March.
    7. Hök, Johanna & Wachtler, Caroline & Falkenberg, Torkel & Tishelman, Carol, 2007. "Using narrative analysis to understand the combined use of complementary therapies and bio-medically oriented health care," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 65(8), pages 1642-1653, October.
    8. Pedersen, Inge Kryger & Baarts, Charlotte, 2010. "'Fantastic hands' - But no evidence: The construction of expertise by users of CAM," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(6), pages 1068-1075, September.
    9. Rebecca Mitchell & Jessica Gordon & Gopal Krushna Bhoi & Nicholas Nisbett, 2023. "Applying the ‘Candidacy’ Model to understand access to key nutrition, food & health services in LMIC contexts: a qualitative study in Odisha, India," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 15(3), pages 649-660, June.
    10. Karolin Becker & Peter Zweifel, 2008. "Age and Choice in Health Insurance," The Patient: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Springer;International Academy of Health Preference Research, vol. 1(1), pages 27-40, January.
    11. Lemire, Marc & Sicotte, Claude & Paré, Guy, 2008. "Internet use and the logics of personal empowerment in health," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 88(1), pages 130-140, October.
    12. Kelner, Merrijoy & Wellman, Beverly & Welsh, Sandy & Boon, Heather, 2006. "How far can complementary and alternative medicine go? The case of chiropractic and homeopathy," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 63(10), pages 2617-2627, November.
    13. Jaswant Guzder & Meenakshi Krishna, 2005. "Mind the Gap," Psychology and Developing Societies, , vol. 17(2), pages 121-138, September.
    14. Dodds, Sarah & Bulmer, Sandy & Murphy, Andrew, 2014. "Consumer value in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) health care services," Australasian marketing journal, Elsevier, vol. 22(3), pages 218-229.
    15. Singh, Jagdip & Cuttler, Leona & Silvers, J. B., 2004. "Toward understanding consumers' role in medical decisions for emerging treatments: Issues, framework and hypotheses," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 57(9), pages 1054-1065, September.
    16. Michael S. Goldstein, 2002. "The Emerging Socioeconomic and Political Support for Alternative Medicine in the United States," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 583(1), pages 44-63, September.

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