Objectives: The evaluation of patient satisfaction with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) versus conventional medicine (COM) in Swiss primary care.
Design: A cross-sectional study was performed with questionnaires aimed at fulfilment of expectations, perceived treatment effects, and patient satisfaction.
Setting: Participants were 51 certificated TCM physicians, 71 COM physicians, and 2530 adult patients.
Results: Among patients seeking primary care in Switzerland, those who choose a conventional physician with additional certification in TCM have a higher chance of being completely satisfied with their treatment than patients who choose a physician educated only in COM.
Conclusions: Physicians who supply TCM in addition to COM are able to satisfy the needs of their patients more completely than solely COM-practicing physicians. Explanations for this difference include less frequent side effects in TCM, better TCM physician-patient interaction with longer duration of consultation, and different treatment expectations of patients seeking TCM.