CAM and conventional medicine in Switzerland : divided in theory, united in practice

Hélène Martin and Jérôme Debons explore the decisions of Swiss health care users to use the complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The study they conducted examined the impact of the inclusion of these “médecines complémentaires” into compulsory public health insurance (CHI) from 1999 to 2005. After reviewing the literature of the causes and characteristics of CAM use, Hélène Martin and Jérôme Debons explore the extent to which insurance systems affect these decisions and find that financial and legal frameworks around health care insurance have little impact on whether or not people choose CAM. On the contrary, values about health and health care have a much more profound impact. The authors highlight the fact that people are guided by their view of the health problem at hand rather than by economic reasoning.

Résumé : Emilie Pasquier

Cette publication est en lien avec la recherche : "Conséquences pour les usagers de la décision du DFI de juin 2005 de retirer des prestations de médecine complémentaire de la LAMal" (7100).