Table 2.

Main criteria of included studies

Author:	Indication:	Data collection:	Objective of each study:	Setting:
Barrett et al. March 2000 [[37]]	Primary Care	17 patients, semi structured in-depth interviews	To investigate knowledge, attitudes …of patients of CAM.	Madison telephone listings, USA
Richardson et al. June 2004 [[19]]	Primary Care	204 patients, qualitative comments in health questionnaire	To assess expectations of patients who use CAM	British NHS outpatient department
McCaffrey et al. July 2007 [[29]]	Primary Care	37 patients, focus group	To identify the motivations of people who choose IM	Integrative care clinic in Cambridge, MA
Smith et al. May 2009 [[32]]	Primary Care	19 patients, telephone focus group	To explore the attributes of the therapy encounter	New Zealand, clients of massage therapist or practice
Grace et al. Sept. 2010 [[20]]	Primary Care	22 patients, hermeneutic phenomenology: case studies, focus groups, key informant interviews	To understand the contribution integrative medicine can make to the quality of care	3 integrative medicine clinics in Sydney, Australia
Nichol et al. Feb. 2011 [[18]]	Primary Care	12 patients, focus groups	To examine the family as a context for beliefs, decision-making about CAM	Family Focus Clinics from Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children sub-study, UK
Shaw et al. June 2006 [[21]]	Asthma	50 patients, semi-structured interviews with 22 adults and 28 children	To investigate why and how patients and parents of children use CAM	2 contrasting general practices, one in an affluent suburb one in a deprived inner city area, Bristol, UK
la Cour et al. Dec 2008 [[22]]	Rheumatic Disease	15 patients, in-depth interviews	To investigate patients’ experience and perceptions of CAM	patient-driven rheumatic disease societies, Denmark
Richmond et al. May 2010 [[45]]	Hepatitis C	28 patients, semi-structured interviews	To describe reasons for the use of mind-body medicine	liver clinic, tertiary healthcare facility in the United States
Salamonsen et al. July 2010 [[23]]	MS	2 patients, of 12 qualitative interviews, issue (theme)-focused analysis on two cases	To obtain knowledge and understanding on MS patients' experiences related to their CAM use	selection based on Registry of -exceptional Courses of Disease, Norway and Denmark
Boon et al. Sept. 1999 [[35]]	Breast Cancer	36 patients, focus groups	To explore breast cancer survivors’ perceptions and experiences of CAM	tertiary care allopathic medical centers, Canada
Canales et al. Jan. 2003 [[30]]	Breast Cancer	66 patients, focus groups	Specific reasons breast cancer surviviors reported for using CAM	Vermont Mammography Registry, Vermont Canada
Adler, Sept. 2009 [[25]]	Breast Cancer	44 patients, semi structured interviews	To address older breast cancer patients’ seeking of concurrent care	1593 breast cancer case listings provided by the Northern California Cancer Center
Mulkins et al. March 2004 [[27]]	Breast, Colon, Prostate, Lung and Throat Cancer	11 patients, unstructured interviews	To identify features of the transformative experience among people who are seeking integrative care	3 integrative care facilities in Vancouver
Steinsbekk et al. Febr. 2005 [[38]]	Breast, Kidney, NHL, Melanoma, Colon….	17 patients, semi structured interviews	How patients experience consultations with CAM practitioners	outpatient clinic of oncology department at the university hospital, Norway
Singh et al. Febr. 2005 [[41]]	Prostate Cancer	27 patients, semi structured interviews	To compare the perceptions, beliefs, ideas and experiences that contribute to use CAM	part of a larger study, Hawaii Tumor Registry, USA
Ribero et al. July 2006 [[26]]	Breast CA	6 patients, semi structured interviews	To describe the attitudes, beliefs and utilization of CAM	Komen Hawaii’s Race for a Cure
Correa-Velez et al. Oct. 2005 [[43]]	Advanced cancer	39 patients, semi structured interviews	To identify in detail the reasons for using CAM	records of state cancer registry, Queensland, Australia
White et al. June 2006 [[16]]	Prostate cancer	29 patients in-depth interviews?+?focus groups, then secondary analysis from 10 of 29 patients with spiritual practices	To assess decision making by men who use CAM	men with a confirmed diagnosis of prostate cancer in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada
Humpel et al. Sep. 2006 [[39]]	Breast. Prostate, colon, lung, liver cancer	19 patients, semi-structured in-depth interviews	To gain a greater understanding of CAM including motivations	recruited via posters and study flyers placed in med. waiting rooms, Australia
Evans et al. Jan. 2007 [[17]]	Prostate, lung colorectal…	34 patients, semi-structured interviews	To investigate why men with cancer choose to use CAM	National Health Service (NHS]oncology unit, NHS homeopathic outpatient, private cancer charity
Jones et al. March 2007 [[36]]	Prostate Cancer	14 patients, semi-structured interviews	To examine the cultural beliefs and attitudes of the use of CAM	Prostate cancer center in central Virginia?+?referred by other participants, USA
Broom August 2009 [[28]]	multiple indication cancer	20 patients, semi-structured interviews	To question how individuals make sense of diverse treatment practices	two oncology departments in Australia
Wanchai et al. July 2010 [[31]]	Breast Cancer	9 patients, in-depth interviews	What were the breast cancer survivors’ perceptions about CAM	Cancer Center in the Midwestern region of USA
Foote-Ardah July 2003 [[44]]	HIV	62 patients, qualitative interview, mostpart conversational	To aid understanding why people us CAM for HIV	Core group of persons withHIV from personal networks and contacts made through fieldwork, USA
Chen et al. May 2009 [[46]]	HIV	29 patients, semi-structured, in-depth interview	To explore issues related to attitudes toward CAM	Ditan hospital in Beijing, China
McDonald et al. Oct. 2010 [[40]]	HIV	9 patients, semi-structured interviews	To examine the sociocultural meaning and use of CAM	Referrals from CAM practitioners at community-based health service for PLWHA, Melbourne, Australia
Walter et al. May 2004 [[33]]	Menopause	36 patients, focus groups, and 4 semi-structured interviews	To examine patients’ perspectives of risk communication	two Cambridge practices from contrasting parts of the city
Patterson et al. Jan. 2008 [[34]]	Primary Care	13 patients, semi-structured interviews, adolescents 15–20 years	To explore adolescent CAM use	Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine
Conboy et al. 2008 [[24]]	Endometriosis	7 patients, semi-structured interviews, adolescents 13–22 years	To understand experiences of adolescents with acupuncture	primarilythrough the Division of Gynecology of Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA