Table 4.
Themes Mentioned Only by Patients and Complementary Medicine Providers (In Order of Frequency of Mention)
| Theme | Examples from Interviews |
|---|---|
| Effects (what it does) | Patient 642: …it’s up to the person prescribing it to make you aware of what [the supplement] is and what it’s going to do |
| Composition* | Provider 14: I like to educate patients: “Okay, let’s look at the form these vitamins are in. Is it an activated form? Is it not in an activated form? Is it in a natural form or is it a synthetic vitamin?” |
| Patient 291: I would like the doctor to see the ingredients and make comments on that to me. | |
| Monitoring | |
| For need | Patient 667: …if they see in your blood test that there’s definitely a deficiency, then of course it would be their responsibility to bring it up so that you can supplement… |
| For therapeutic effect | Provider 61: I’ll say these herbs are meant to last for you a week and I’d like for you to come in for a follow-up in a week and that way I can reassess your condition. |
| Patient 228: I would have liked to know where my levels were to make sure that I was taking the right amount, not taking too much. | |
| Brand | Provider 95: I want to know the manufacturer, the brand… |
| Patient 115: That’s one of the things that I do look to [the provider] for, is recommending appropriate brands. | |
| Special precautions | Provider 72: …what I consistently will talk to them about is making sure they’re not taking their supplements on an empty stomach. If they are taking them…with food they will assimilate better. |
| Mega-dosing | Provider 87: Some patients are afraid of taking doses of supplements that are high dose…on the back of the label they’ll say things like 100 % daily recommended values and some will say like thousands of percent. Patients, I think, want information on whether or not they’re going to overdose. |
| Patient 672: If it’s something that if you’re taking in mega doses or taking a lot, then you should maybe bring it up because the doctor should know about it. | |
| Importance of taking | Patient 311: …how important [a supplement] is within the condition [of] being a diabetic [and] being obese. |
*Composition was mentioned by two primary care providers