A retrospective chart review of the guiding symptoms of the successful prescription of Natrum muriaticum at a homoeopathic satellite clinic

Brief background In the practice of Homoeopathy, widely acting remedies or polychrest homoeopathic medicines are prescribed in the treatment of a wide range of clinical conditions. The documenting of the guiding symptoms in successfully treated cases will assist in offering guidelines for the prescription of remedies in the future and thus serves as scientific and clinical verification of the remedies. The operational definition of success for the purposes of clinical verification is the alleviation or improvement of existing symptoms (Van Wassenhoven 2013). This definition was applied in the context of this study. To facilitate high standards of health care as well as teaching and learning, Durban University of Technology (DUT) Department of Homoeopathy in collaboration with Lifeline established its first Homoeopathic Community Clinic in 2004 called Ukuba Nesibindi Homoeopathic Community Clinic (UNHCC) located in Warwick Junction, Durban. UNHCC provides a free Homoeopathic primary health care service on the third floor of the Lifeline building in Acorn Road, Warwick Triangle, less than one kilometre from the main DUT campus The area is classified as being disadvantaged with high crime rates, prostitution, violence, small informal businesses and low cost housing (Smillie 2010, Watson 2015 and Dube 2015). Aim of the study The study aimed to determine and compare the guiding symptoms of the successful prescription of Natrum muriaticum at Ukuba Nesibindi Homoeopathic Community Clinic (UNHCC) between 2013 and 2016. Methodology A retrospective chart review was conducted at the Ukuba Nesibindi Homoeopathic Community Clinic on the patient files between 2013 and 2016. A rubric (Appendix B) was used to document the demographics, clinical conditions, homoeopathic guiding symptoms, posology and follow up presentation of each chart where Natrum muriaticum was successfully prescribed. Furthermore, a comparison of the guiding prescribing symptoms was made against existing materia medica. A sample size of 197 patient files which had appropriate consent forms enclosed allowing for the use of information for research purposes was established. Prior to gathering the relevant information and the commencement of the study, gate keeper permission to conduct the study on patient files and at the mentioned location was requested and granted by all relevant stakeholders. The actual sample size was derived from the successful cases with follow ups until data saturation. Files that were excluded from the 197 patient files were of those patients who did not attend the follow up appointment and cases which were not treated successfully with the remedy. The sample size for the study was 37. Descriptive statistics was derived and illustrated using bar graphs and pie charts. Tabulations and graphical presentation of the comparison were created. Themes and inferences were drawn based on the emerged data from the symptoms and rubrics. Thereafter, a comparison to the existing materia medica was conducted by comparing the arising symptomatology with the existing content in the materia medica. Results The results of the study showed that the symptoms that arise in the study corresponded with the symptoms in the existing materia medica, however there were additional symptoms that emerged in the study and these symptoms were not listed in the materia medica, but were successfully treated with Natrum muriaticum. It was concluded that the guiding symptoms that were considered in formulating the prescriptions of Natrum muriaticum correlate with the characteristic symptoms of Natrum muriaticum in the materia medicas by Vermeulen, Boericke and Phatak