Alternative therapy and hepatitis C: A quantitative study

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the most common, chronic bloodborne infection in the United States and infects thee times more people than AIDS. Conventional treatment is limited to the anti-viral agents, interferon and ribavirin, which can cause debilitating side effects and induce remission in only about one-half of those treated. This has led to the use of alternative therapies to treat HCV. Studies examining the use of alternative therapy to treat HCV in the U.S. were unavailable. The purpose of this study was to identify the types and prevalence of alternative therapies used, as well as sources of knowledge and factors affecting subjects' decision to adopt alternative therapy. This descriptive, quantitative study used Roger's theory of Diffusion of Innovations as the framework. The data was collected from a sample of 229 voluntary, anonymous subjects via a questionnaire posted on the Internet. Results indicated that the majority (76%) of subjects used alternative therapy to treat HCV. Herbal medicine (97%) was the most commonly used alternative therapy and milk thistle (88%) the most common herbal. Results indicated that providers had little impact on the decision to use alternative therapy. Subjects identified limited options, side effects of conventional treatment, and quality of health as the most common factors influencing the use of alternative therapy. Findings were discussed considering the role of the NP in meeting the needs of the HCV infected population.