Developing and Evaluating Complementary Therapy Services: Part 1. Establishing Service Provision Through the Use of Evidence and Consensus Development

The integration of complementary therapies within the British National Health Service (NHS) in the context of limited evidence of effectiveness has been much debated, as has the need for the provision of health services to be more evidence-based. In June 1994, a project was launched within a South-East London NHS Hospital Trust to introduce complementary therapy (acupuncture, homeopathy, and osteopathy), in the context of an evaluation program. This followed approximately 4 years of working toward raising the profile of complementary therapies within the hospital through study days, workshops, and providing a massage and osteopathic service for staff. A survey of local general practitioners highlighted areas of complementary therapy provision and interest in referring patients to a hospital-based service. A steering group was established to draw together a proposal for funding the service. Evidence for the effectiveness of acupuncture, homeopathy, and osteopathy was presented at a multidisciplinary seminar. A consensus development process, using a modified Delphi technique to establish referral indicators followed this. This study provides a useful model of service development in the absence of good quality evidence for the effectiveness of clinical interventions.