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Supplementary Material for: Job Profile of Non-Medical Practitioners: A Cross- Sectional Study from the Health Service Perspective
preprint
posted on 2017-09-19, 06:57 authored by Kattge S., Goetz K., Glassen K., Steinhäuser JBackground: The demand for complementary and alternative
medicine (CAM) is rising. The German ‘Heilpraktiker’
is a non-medical naturopathic practitioner (NMNP)
providing CAM. Their numbers are rising constantly;
however, little is known about their practices and reasons
for consultation and on what kind of treatment they
offer. Methods: All 1,096 NMNPs in the German federal
state of Schleswig-Holstein were invited to participate in
a questionnaire study to gain first insights into their
nearly unexplored group setting. Results: A total of 262
NMNPs responded to the itemized questionnaire; 60 answered
the questionnaire suggested for non-responders.
Out of the 262 NMNPs, 211 (81%) were female. The average
age was 53 years. Analyzing the most frequent reasons
for consultation, 68.2% were found to be general
and unspecified reasons, followed by psychological
causes (64.1%) and musculoskeletal complaints (53.1%).
About 68% of the participants treat conditions of pain.
The most commonly used group of methods was found
to comprise para-medicinal procedures. Conclusions:
Our analysis gives first insights into the occupational
profile of the German NMNPs, their scope of activities
and treatment methods. It is a first step towards health
service research that might provide a basis for further
studies.
