Knowledge, attitude, and practices of complementary and alternative medicine: a survey of physicians and nurses at an academic medical center in Beirut

Abstract

The aim of this study is to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among physicians and nurses at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) in Beirut, Lebanon. A web-based survey was emailed to 518 physicians and 423 registered nurses in all medical departments at AUBMC. Of the 94 physicians responding to the survey, 61% have never referred a patient to a CAM practitioner yet 33% reported that they would refer if available. Sixty-two percent of physicians believed that incorporating evidence-based CAM therapies will increase patient satisfaction and 66% thought that offering CAM would attract more patients. Of the 80 nurses who responded, 78.7% have never referred a patient to a CAM practitioner, yet half reported that they would likely refer if a CAM practitioner was available. Fifty-seven percent of nurses surveyed believed that offering CAM would attract more patients while 59% thought that it would increase patient satisfaction. Most nurses were uncomfortable counseling patients about CAM modalities. Favorable attitudes towards CAM were reflected by the physicians and nurses as signified by the above-average attitude means towards CAM (M = 4.01, SD = .16 and M = 3.25, SD = .59, respectively). The study findings demonstrate that despite the physicians’ and nurses’ limited knowledge and their discomfort in counseling on CAM, they expressed acceptability and willingness in using and incorporating CAM therapies into clinical practice at AUBMC. This is the first study conducted in Lebanon that assesses both nurses’ and physicians’ perspectives on the use of all CAM domains in general within the same healthcare setting. This study not only provides baseline data but also highlights the knowledge gap and learning needs among physicians and nurses with regards to CAM.

Perception, attitudes, knowledge of using complementary and alternative medicine for cancer patients among healthcare professionals: A mixed‐methods systematic review

“…67 Among the HCPs, nurses had more positive views of CAM; this factor is aligned with a few previous studies. A perspective survey in Beirut found that nurses expressed willingness to use CAM 68 ; another survey of Iranian nurses implied favorable attitudes toward CAM. 69 However, the two studies were in accordance that nurses had limited knowledge of CAM despite the positive attitudes.…”

The Effect of an Acupressure Training Program for Pediatric Nurses Caring for Children Undergoing Chemotherapy

“…In a survey of Iranian nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and practice related to complementary and alternative medicine, Zeighami and Soltani-Nejad (2020) reported that the nurses had the lowest scores (68.3%) when queried about acupressure technique. In addition, in a survey of physicians and nurses at an academic medical center in Beirut, Lebanon, Makarem et al (2022) reported that 50.8% of the nurses found it was very difficult to find information about complementary and alternative modalities.…”

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Complementary and Alternative Medicine: A Patients' Perspective

“…This re ects the present rising acceptance of the global CAM modalities into the practice of medicine across many countries in the Middle East, including Lebanon. 9 An additional nding regarding familiarity with CAM indicated that participants who reported having good health exhibited higher familiarity with complementary and alternative medicine methods than those with poor or excellent health. Given that higher familiarity with CAM re ects CAM usage, individuals with good health might exhibit high familiarity with CAM, as they are prone to use CAM due to its bene ts related to holistic care, health maintenance, health promotion, and improvement in life quality.…”

“…Both physicians and nurses were most familiar with garlic and ginger as well. 9 The similarly attributed familiarity to the aforementioned modalities by three sample groups from the same medical center might re ect the role of context and culture in dictating the most widely popular CAM modalities in a speci ed cultural context. 8,24 Previous studies conducted in Lebanon indicated that herbs, herbal products, and spiritual healing practices were reported to be among the country's most commonly utilized CAM modalities.…”

“…3,[6][7][8] In a recent study in Lebanon, results indicated that the majority of physicians and nurses employed at a major academic medical center believed that CAM practice in Lebanon poses a potential threat to the public health. 9 Since scienti c evidence to validate its safety and effectiveness is minimally established in Lebanon, 5 it becomes crucial for healthcare providers to look into people's knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding CAM to manage or prevent any negative drug interactions or reactions that may occur with its usage. Subsequently, healthcare providers need to devise programs that increase patients' knowledge of CAM as well as educate them on the e cacy, safety issues, and potential interactions of the most commonly practiced CAM therapies.…”