Table 3.

Strategies participants used for assessing treatment and practitioner credibility in the absence of personal experience

Strategy/source of information to assess credibility	Illustrative quote
Recommendations from trusted sources, personal, or professional	‘If it was recommended by somebody I had confidence in. […] if it’s somebody who’s either had it done or it’s recommended by a GP.’ Male, FG10
Mass media	‘Definitely would consider it yeah, it actually sounds interesting, you see enough of it on the television.’ Female, FG8
Practitioner’s training and qualifications	‘I went to see a properly qualified acupuncturist who spent 4 years training to become a proper acupuncturist, I didn’t just go and put myself into the hands of a physiotherapist who’d had half an hour’s training.’ Female, FG10