A STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO INVESTIGATE THE KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES OF MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS IN THE RIYADH REGION OF SAUDI ARABIA ON COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
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Abstract
Context: Complementary and alternative medicine, sometimes known as CAM, is a therapy option that is extremely popular among many different communities. The purpose of this work is to investigate the knowledge and attitudes of medical professionals in the Riyadh region of Saudi Arabia with regard to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The Components and Procedures: For the purpose of this cross-sectional survey, a multistage random sample was collected from all of the medical professionals who were employed at hospitals located in Riyadh city and the governorates that surrounded it. Data were obtained from 306 health professionals working in 19 hospitals through the use of a self-administered questionnaire. The data collected included socio-demographic information, knowledge about complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and its sources, and attitudes towards CAM treatments. The findings showed that 88.9% of the participants had some level of familiarity with complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). In terms of understanding of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), respondents who had a doctoral degree (94.74%) and those who had a bachelor's degree (92.53%) had considerably greater levels of knowledge than subjects who had a diploma, a fellowship, or a master's degree (68.75%, 76.67%, and 85.41%, respectively, P = 0.004). In terms of sources of information on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), the mass media accounted for 60.1%, followed by family, relatives, and friends (29.08%), and then health educational organisations (14.71%). In addition to medical massage (61.8%) and acupuncture (55%), the participants estimated that the most commonly used complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practices were prophetic medicine, which included prayer, honey and bee products, medical herbs, Hijama, nutrition and nutritional supplements, cauterization, and camel milk and urine. These practices accounted for 90.5%, 85%, 76.9%, 70.6%, 61.4%, 55.9%, and 52.5%, respectively. Eighty percent of the physicians were prepared to discuss complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) with their patients. The readiness of health professionals to deepen their understanding of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and to cultivate a positive attitude towards it has improved. The region is characterised by a greater prevalence of religious practices, particularly those that are associated with prophetic medicine. The role of health educational organisations in providing evidence-based understanding about complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) needs to be expanded. When discussing complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) with patients, it is important to focus on evidence-based approaches.
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