Patient acceptance and implementation of micronutrient therapy in women with neurostress-related symptoms

TL;DR

This study found that women with neurostress symptoms accepted micronutrient therapy well, especially regarding side effects and treatment constraints, and their acceptance was strongly linked to how effective they felt the treatment was.

Contribution

The study provides new insights into patient acceptance of micronutrient therapy for neurostress-related symptoms and identifies factors influencing treatment acceptance.

Findings

High overall treatment acceptance was observed with a median ACCEPT© score of 88.9.

Acceptance was strongly correlated with perceived efficacy and side effects but not with compliance.

A negative correlation was found between treatment acceptance and perceived lack of information.

Abstract

To evaluate the acceptance of micronutrient therapy in women with symptoms related to a pathological neurostress profile and to explore its association with patient-reported outcomes such as perceived efficacy, side effects, compliance, and perceived lack of information.

This retrospective observational study included women aged ≥ 18 years who underwent neurostress testing followed by micronutrient therapy. The study was conducted at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Bern. Patients were invited to complete the validated ACCEPT© questionnaire to assess their level of treatment acceptance. Descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests were applied, and correlations were analyzed using Spearman’s rho.

Eighty-one women participated. Overall treatment acceptance was high, with a median ACCEPT© score of 88.9 (Q1 = 66.6, Q3 = 100). Acceptance of drug-related constraints scored high (median = 100), whereas acceptance of treatment duration was lower (median = 66.6). Side effects were well tolerated (median = 100), and perceived efficacy was rated positively (median = 100). General acceptance correlated significantly with perceived efficacy (p < 0.001) and side effects (p < 0.001), but not with compliance (p = 0.084). A negative correlation was found with the perceived lack of information (p = 0.043).

Micronutrient therapy in women with a pathological neurostress profile was highly accepted, particularly regarding treatment-related constraints and side effects. Acceptance was closely linked to perceived efficacy, highlighting the importance of patient-centered communication and expectation management.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00404-026-08321-6.

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