Contact information
Type
Scientific
Primary contact
Dr Charlotte Paterson
ORCID ID
Contact details
Department of Social Medicine
Canynge Hall
University of Bristol
Whiteladies Road
Bristol
BS8 2PR
United Kingdom
+44 (0)117 331 3901
C.Paterson@bristol.ac.uk
Additional identifiers
EudraCT number
ClinicalTrials.gov number
Protocol/serial number
RS/08/04.98
Study information
Scientific title
Acronym
Study hypothesis
For patients with dyspepsia who are receiving orthodox general practice care, what is the effect on outcome and on NHS costs of adding treatment by a choice of acupuncture or homeopathy?
Ethics approval
Not provided at time of registration
Study design
Randomised controlled trial
Primary study design
Interventional
Secondary study design
Randomised controlled trial
Trial setting
Hospitals
Trial type
Quality of life
Patient information sheet
Condition
Peptic ulcer disease
Intervention
Patients chose between acupuncture and homeopathy and were then randomised to this preference or to the control group of normal GP care:
1. Homeopathy versus placebo
2. Acupuncture versus placebo
Treatment and follow-up were for six months.
Intervention type
Other
Phase
Not Specified
Drug names
Primary outcome measure
Clinical outcome will be measured by validated outcome questionnaires:
1. The 36-item short form health survey (SF-36)
2. Measure Yourself Outcome Profile (MYMOP)
3. The General Well-Being Index
Follow-up will be six-months.
NHS costs collected for each patient will be prescribing costs, referral costs, and number of general practitioner consultations. Complementary practitioner costs will be their fees and homeopathy prescriptions.
Secondary outcome measures
Not provided at time of registration
Overall trial start date
21/11/1998
Overall trial end date
12/06/2000
Reason abandoned (if study stopped)
Eligibility
Participant inclusion criteria
Sixty patients with dyspepsia presenting in one UK general practice.
Participants expressed their preference for homeopathy or acupuncture before being randomised to receive their choice or be in the control group receiving normal GP care.
Participant type
Patient
Age group
Not Specified
Gender
Not Specified
Target number of participants
60
Participant exclusion criteria
Not provided at time of registration
Recruitment start date
21/11/1998
Recruitment end date
12/06/2000
Locations
Countries of recruitment
United Kingdom
Trial participating centre
Department of Social Medicine
Bristol
BS8 2PR
United Kingdom
Sponsor information
Organisation
NHS R&D Regional Programme Register - Department of Health (UK)
Sponsor details
The Department of Health
Richmond House
79 Whitehall
London
SW1A 2NL
United Kingdom
+44 (0)20 7307 2622
dhmail@doh.gsi.org.uk
Sponsor type
Government
Website
Funders
Funder type
Government
Funder name
NHS Executive South West (UK)
Alternative name(s)
Funding Body Type
Funding Body Subtype
Location
Results and Publications
Publication and dissemination plan
Not provided at time of registration
Intention to publish date
Participant level data
Not provided at time of registration
Basic results (scientific)
Publication list
Results in http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12801492
Publication citations
-
Results
Paterson C, Ewings P, Brazier JE, Britten N, Treating dyspepsia with acupuncture and homeopathy: reflections on a pilot study by researchers, practitioners and participants., Complement Ther Med, 2003, 11, 2, 78-84.