The State of Homeopathic Research

Table of Contents

• About This Report 3
• Acknowledgments 4
• Summary 5
• Issue 5
• Approach 5
• Key Findings 5
• Results of the Review of the Homeopathic Clinical Research Literature 5
• Results of the Expert Panel Deliberations 6
• Recommendations 7
• Contents 8
• Figures and Tables 10
• Figures 10
• Tables 10
• Introduction 11
• Challenge to Homeopathic Research 11
• Rationale and Scope for the Current Study 13
• Organization of This Report 14
• Summary of Results 15
• Results of the Review of the Homeopathic Clinical Research Literature 15
• Results of the Expert Panel Deliberations 16
• Recommendation 1 Follow Reporting Guidelines 17
• Recommendation 2 Monitor and Report Safety and Adverse Events 19
• Recommendation 3 Identify and Publicize Exemplar Studies 20
• Recommendation 4 Increase Homeopathic Research Expertise 21
• Recommendation 5 Validate External and Model Validity Tools for Use in Homeopathic Research 22
• Recommendation 6 Establish Decisionmaking Groups for the Homeopathic Research Community 23
• Targeting Studies to Particular Types of Homeopathy Conditions and Populations 23
• Strategies for Improving the Quality of Homeopathic Research 24
• Conclusion 25
• Methods and Detailed Results from the Review of Published Homeopathic Research Literature 26
• Methods 26
• Sources of Literature 26
• Study Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria for the Literature Review 27
• Data Abstraction 27
• Assessments of Validity 28
• Internal Validity 28
• External and Model Validity 30
• Data Synthesis and Analysis 33
• Results 33
• Characteristics of Reviewed Studies 35
• Quality Assessment of Reviewed Studies 41
• Internal Validity 41
• External Validity 43
• Model Validity 47
• Limitations of This Review 49
• Summary 49
• Methods and Detailed Results from the Expert Panel Deliberations 51
• Methods 51
• Steering Committee 51
• Panel Selection 51
• Engagement with Panel 51
• Results 53
• Key Question 1 Is Homeopathic Research Missing Important Areas of Study in Terms of the Conditions and Populations Studied 53
• Priority Areas for Homeopathic Research in Terms of Populations and Conditions 54
• Key Question 2 Are the Right Types of Homeopathy Being Studied 55
• Priority Areas for Homeopathic Research in Terms of the Types of Homeopathy to Study 56
• Key Question 3 What Aspects of Research Quality Do Homeopathic Studies Most Reflect in Terms of Internal External and Model Validity 57
• Quality of Homeopathic ResearchInternal Validity 58
• Quality of Homeopathic ResearchExternal Validity 60
• Quality of Homeopathic ResearchModel Validity 63
• Key Question 4 What Types of Future Studies Are Needed to Fill Gaps in Knowledge and Quality 65
• Priority Recommendations for Research Quality Improvement 66
• Limitations 67
• Summary 68
• Abbreviations 69
• References 70