Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40329247›Full record

ArticleBMC complementary medicine and therapies2025

Complementary medicine among individuals experiencing homelessness in Switzerland: a quantitative and qualitative descriptive study.

Véronique S Grazioli, Evelyne Hangartner, Patrick Bodenmann, Luana Schaad, Léa Grosjean, Justin Nikles, David J T Campbell, Laurent Hyvert, Tshahé Anongba Varela, Susan E Collins and 3 more

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Article in BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Véronique S GrazioliDepartment of Vulnerabilities and Social Medicine, Center for Primary Care and Public Health, Chair of Medicine for Vulnerable Populations, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland. veronique.grazioli@unisante.ch.
Evelyne HangartnerDepartment of Vulnerabilities and Social Medicine, Center for Primary Care and Public Health, Chair of Medicine for Vulnerable Populations, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Patrick BodenmannDepartment of Vulnerabilities and Social Medicine, Center for Primary Care and Public Health, Chair of Medicine for Vulnerable Populations, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Luana SchaadDepartment of Vulnerabilities and Social Medicine, Center for Primary Care and Public Health, Chair of Medicine for Vulnerable Populations, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Léa GrosjeanDepartment of Vulnerabilities and Social Medicine, Center for Primary Care and Public Health, Chair of Medicine for Vulnerable Populations, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Justin NiklesDepartment of Vulnerabilities and Social Medicine, Center for Primary Care and Public Health, Chair of Medicine for Vulnerable Populations, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
David J T CampbellDepartments of Medicine, Community Health Sciences & Cardiac Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
Laurent HyvertDepartment of Vulnerabilities and Social Medicine, Center for Primary Care and Public Health, Chair of Medicine for Vulnerable Populations, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Tshahé Anongba VarelaSleep-In Association, Renens, Switzerland.
Susan E CollinsDepartment of Psychology, Washington State University, Pullman, USA.
Caroline LeblancFamily Medicine Department and Emergency, University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Canada.
Christine LoignonFamily Medicine Department and Emergency, University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Canada.
Chantal BernaCenter for Integrative and Complementary medicine, Department of anesthesiology, Lausanne university hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPeople experiencing homelessness (PEH) are disproportionately affected by health issues yet remain underserved by the health care system. Emerging findings suggest that complementary medicine (CM) approaches might help address the low access to earlier treatment and the complex needs of this population. Very little research has explored this topic in Europe. Thus, this study aimed to explore perceptions, experiences, and interests in CM among PEH in Switzerland.

methodsParticipants (N = 123) were PEH in French-speaking Switzerland who completed a questionnaire assessing their use of and interest in CM. A subsample of the survey participants (n = 18) and 14 professionals working in the homeless-serving sector participated in semi-structured interviews exploring perceived utility of CM for PEH. Descriptive statistics and conventional content analysis were used to analyze quantitative and qualitative data, respectively.

resultsQuantitative findings showed that despite high levels of interest in CM, less than 30% of participants reported using CM at least once in the previous 6 months. The five CM modalities with the highest interest were osteopathy (61.5% interested or very interested), therapeutic massage (59.2%), nutritional supplements (57.1%), music therapy (50.8%), and acupuncture (49.1%). The qualitative findings reinforced the substantial interest in CM. They revealed that CM approaches were perceived as useful to mitigate some health and social issues frequently encountered in this population, ultimately contributing to improved health and well-being. Participants made recommendations for practices that would help engage and retain PEH in a CM program, such as making it accessible and equitable, and following certain steps to earn the trust of PEH. Finally, a minority of participants questioned the relevance of a CM program for this population, arguing instead that more urgent social and conventional medical needs must be addressed first.

conclusionsTaken together, these findings suggest that integrative medicine, which incorporates conventional and complementary approaches to medical and social services may represent a suitable offering for PEH to address their competing bio-psycho-social needs. Using a community-based participatory approach to co-develop such a program might help to ensure effectiveness and thereby increase health equity.

Indexed as

Complementary TherapiesIll-Housed PersonsAdultFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedQualitative ResearchSurveys and QuestionnairesSwitzerlandComplementary medicineIntegrative medicine, SwitzerlandPeople experiencing homelessness

Identifiers

PMID40329247
PMCPMC12057206

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.