Care seeking, use of complementary therapies and self management among people with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease CAMELOT phase I: An ethnographic approach

Abstract

In a multiphase mixed method interdisciplinary study known as CAMELOT, we explored why people under treatment for type 2 diabetes and/or cardiovascular disease also presented to and used complementary or alternative medicine (CAM) practitioners or therapies in order to establish the relationship with adherence to their prescribed treatment. The project drew on the advice of a reference group of consumers, CAM and biomedical providers. Phase I consisted of ethnographic research with participant observation and in depth interviews with 69 consumers and 20 healthcare providers (CAM and biomedical) recruited through support groups, advertising and social networks. Interviews focused on common sense (lay) models of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease; reasons for and patterns of use of prescribed medication and CAM; choice and frequency of use of different modalities; and how economic considerations, social networks and information pathways influenced this. The research took advantage of an interdisciplinary approach in novel ways to explore areas of health and society that have so far received limited attention. The ethnographic approach taken for Phase I and the results of recruitment are described here. © National Herbalists Association of Australia 2012.