Αποτίμηση της προθυμίας πληρωμής για υπηρεσίες συμπληρωματικής και εναλλακτικής ιατρικής στο χρόνιο πόνο

Καμίτσα, Παναγιώτα

An assessment of willingness to pay for complementary and alternative medicine in chronic pain

Master Thesis

Author

Καμίτσα, Παναγιώτα

Date

2025

Abstract

Aim: The purpose of this study is to investigate, through a structured questionnaire, the factors influencing willingness to pay (WTP) for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies among patients with chronic pain. Data and Methods: Adult patients with chronic pain (n=101) attending outpatient chronic pain clinics at public hospitals in Greece were invited to complete a questionnaire covering their use of CAM services, their willingness to pay for them and their quality of life. This is a cross-sectional study and WTP was assessed using the contingent valuation method under hypothetical CAM use. Results: Of the 101 participants, 38 had visited a CAM practitioner, the majority were women (79%), with a mean age of 56.55 years, retired (36.8%), urban residents (92%) and all were Greek nationals. A total of 60.5% had higher education, while the majority had exclusively public health insurance (76.3%). All participants were receiving medication, mainly non-opioid analgesics (27.7%), with hypertension being the most common comorbidity (20%). Pain duration ranged 1–10 years (42.1%) and the most common CAM treatment was acupuncture (63%), typically on a weekly basis (34%). CAM use was mainly self-referred (45%) and primarily privately funded (76%) with a cost per mostly ranging from 1€-10€. The most common reason for CAM visits was chronic back pain (37%). Among non-CAM users, the main reason cited was lack of knowledge (19%), while medical recommendation emerged as a key factor for potential future use (29%). The majority expressed WTP 11-20€ per visit. The average EQ-5D score was 0.46, significantly lower than of the general population. WTP was positively associated with educational level and negatively associated with recent diagnosis of chronic pain (p=0.07). Conclusions: The study highlighted that chronic pain significantly impacts patients’ quality of life and patients use CAM therapies alongside medications. WTP for CAM appeared to be more closely related to education and the duration of chronic pain condition. The findings suggest the need for multidimensional approaches to chronic pain management and underscore the importance of further research into the potential integration of CAM services into the public healthcare and insurance systems.

Postgraduate Studies Programme

Οικονομικά και Διοίκηση της Υγείας

Department

Σχολή Οικονομικών, Επιχειρηματικών και Διεθνών Σπουδών. Τμήμα Οικονομικής Επιστήμης

Number of pages

140

Language

Greek

URI

https://dione.lib.unipi.gr/xmlui/handle/unipi/17898

Collections

Τμήμα Οικονομικής Επιστήμης

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Αναφορά Δημιουργού 3.0 Ελλάδα