ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Allergy
Sec. Rhinology
This article is part of the Research TopicMultifaceted Treatment Options for Nonallergic RhinitisView all articles
Feasibility in a homeopathy for seasonal allergic rhinitis RCT: importance of therapeutic relationship and organizational capacity
Provisionally accepted
Julia Siewert*
Lilly Joschko
Romy SchleicherBarbara StöckigtMichael Teut
Stefan WillichBenno BrinkhausEva Jansen- Institute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Abstract Introduction: Seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) patients often use homeopathy for symptom relief. The HOMEOSAR trial, a randomized, placebo-controlled, triple-blind multicenter study, included a qualitative sub-study to assess feasibility. This sub-study specifically examined the feasibility of the study, focusing in particular on two mechanism-rich domains—the therapeutic relationship and study organization—with special attention to study procedures, physician–patient relationships, organizational aspects, and interactions with the study team. Methods: Semi-structured interviews with trial participants were conducted 6 to 8 weeks after baseline, corresponding to 2 to 4 weeks after study intervention ended. Data were coded, categorized, and analyzed using qualitative content analysis, both inductively from the material and deductively based on study aims. MAXQDA® software was used to support analysis. Results: Fifteen patients (mean age 43 years; range 20–67; 11 male) participated in the qualitative study (n = 8 standardized homeopathy, n = 2 individualized homeopathy, n = 5 placebo). They were recruited from nine study centers in Berlin. Results of the qualitative sub-study indicate the overall feasibility of the HOMEOSAR trial. Patients highlighted the empathetic and professional relationships with physicians and the supportive contact with the study team. While the documentation was seen as well-structured and clear, it was also described as time-consuming. Conclusion: Findings of this qualitative study provide design-level recommendations (e.g., upfront communication of consultation length, digital diaries with free-text, tracked medication shipping, single contact point) for RCT studies. Beyond the specific homeopathy study context, these findings offer important methodological insights for designing patient-centered RCTs in complex intervention settings not only in the field of Complementary and Integrative Medicine. Trial registration: This study has been registered in the German Clinical Trial Registry with trial ID DRKS00018081 on June 09, 2020.
Keywords: complementary and alternative medicine, Homeopathy, allergy, Feasibilities studies, Therapeutic Relationschip
Received: 28 Aug 2025; Accepted: 24 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Siewert, Joschko, Schleicher, Stöckigt, Teut, Willich, Brinkhaus and Jansen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Julia Siewert, julia.siewert@charite.de
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