A comprehensive systematic review of adult user's attitudes and beliefs regarding herbal and food supplements for the relief of chronic pain

Review Question/Objective The objective of this systematic review is to determine adult user's attitudes and beliefs regarding herbal and food supplements for the relief of chronic pain (therefore excluding over-the-counter (OTC) analgesic medication and homeopathy products). Inclusion criteria For studies to be included in the review they must meet all the inclusion criteria. Types of participants The review will consider studies, both published and unpublished, that include adult users (18 years plus) of herbal and food supplements taken for the relief of chronic pain (irrespective of the perceived anatomical location or diagnosis) from a hospital or community setting. Data regarding consumers, users and patients will be reviewed so that all groups are captured ensuring relevance to both primary and hospital care. Phenomenon of interest The phenomena of interest are the attitudes and beliefs that a user has towards herbal and food supplements for the relief of chronic pain. A range of terms will be used to capture pertinent data on attitudes and beliefs as commonly the terms ‘attitudes’ and ‘beliefs’ do not always appear in the title or abstract whilst useful data are present within the publication (see search strategy for details of terms). The herbal and food supplements of interest are defined as those products originally sourced over the counter (OTC) by users (or their carers for user use) for the relief of chronic pain. It is anticipated that herbal products may include both topical and oral methods of administration. It is anticipated that food supplements may include (but not be restricted to) vitamin, mineral and other supplements taken orally. Data on homeopathy products will be excluded from the review. Types of Outcome The outcomes of interest include but are not restricted to the following: • User reasons for using herbal and food supplements for the relief of chronic pain. • Influencing factors for using herbal or food supplements in contrast to (or in addition to) conventional medication for the relief of chronic pain. • User beliefs about the nature of herbal or food supplements for the relief of chronic pain. • User information receipt or sources regarding herbal and food supplements for the relief of chronic pain. • Communication with health care professionals regarding herbal and food supplements for the relief of chronic pain. • User perception of health care professional beliefs regarding herbal and food supplements for the relief of chronic pain.