Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Complementary and Alternative Medicine among Program’s Residents in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

Talal Saeed Alqahtani; Tahani Ahmed Khalil; Asma Ali Alharbi; Waad Saad Alnomasi; Mohammed Saad Alnomasi; Saeed Mubarak Althwab; Amani Abu Jaser; Rahaf Saud Alshahrani

doi:10.3889/oamjms.2021.5665

Authors

Talal Saeed Alqahtani Department of Family Medicine, Family Medicine Residency Training Program, King Salman Military Hospital, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
Tahani Ahmed Khalil Department of Family Medicine, Head of Family Medicine Residency Training Program, King Salman Military Hospital, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
Asma Ali Alharbi Department of Family Medicine, Family Medicine Residency Training Program, King Salman Military Hospital, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
Waad Saad Alnomasi Department of Family Medicine, Family Medicine Residency Training Program, King Salman Military Hospital, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
Mohammed Saad Alnomasi Intern, Collage of Medicine, Intern in University of Tabuk, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
Saeed Mubarak Althwab Department of Orthopedics, Khamis Mushait Hospital, Khamis Mushait, Saudi Arabia
Amani Abu Jaser Postgraduate Medical Student, Collage of Medicine, Postgraduate Medical Student, University of Science and Technology, Sanaa, Yemen
Rahaf Saud Alshahrani Medical Student, Collage of Medicine, Medical Student in AlMaarefa University, AlMaarefa University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2021.5665

Keywords:

Knowledge, Attitude;, Practice, Complementary medicine, Alternative medicine, Program’s Residents, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) focuses on stimulating the body’s ability to heal itself through energy alignment, herbal supplementation, and other balancing techniques.

AIM: The objective of the study was to investigate and compare the Knowledge Attitude Practice (KAP) of CAM among program’s residents in Tabuk region.

METHODS: A cross-sectional CAP study was conducted among program’s residents in Tabuk region. All program’s residents of all specialties in Tabuk region were included in the study. Data were collected by predesigned electronic questionnaire covering the needed items. Collected data were coded and analyzed using SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois, USA. The Chi-square test was used as a test of significance and p = 0.05 or less was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS: Most (95.8%) of the participants have heard about CAM, 25% have used CAM in treatment before, and 72.3% of them reported beneficial outcome, 25.7% strongly agree and 48.6% agree that CAM is a useful complement to pharmacological medicine, 38.2% believed that the results of CAM are usually due to the placebo effect, and 52.1% recommended using CAM. On the other hand, 79.9% have knowledge about acupuncture, 54.9% spiritual healing and herbal medicine, 43.1% massage, 41% yoga, 70.8% bloodletting cupping, and 56.3% about cauterization. More than third (38.2%) of the participants agreed that the use of herbal products is a valid form of drugs which can be used for the treatment of variety of diseases, 48.6% agreed that CAM is a useful complement to pharmacological medicine, while 36.1% strongly agreed that CAM treatments are not tested in a scientifically recognized manner.

CONCLUSION: In our study, the majority of program’s residents in Tabuk region agree that CAM is a useful complement to pharmacological medicine and recommended using CAM while reasonable percentage of them believed that the results of CAM are usually due to the placebo effect.

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