Use, Attitude, and Knowledge Levels of Medical Faculty Students Towards Traditional and Complementary Medicine Practices: Analytical Study

Abstract

In our study, we aimed to learn the use, attitude, and knowledge levels of medical school students about traditional and complementary medicine (TCM) practices, which are becoming increasingly common in the world and our country. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University Medical Faculty students between June and September 2018. The research consisted of 240 students who voluntarily agreed to take part and completed the questionnaires. Our questionnaire was created by scanning the literature and considering the 2014 "TCM Implementation Regulation". The questionnaire form consists 41 questions. Results: Most students (57.9%) obtained information about TCM from the internet. The best-known methods in the TCM regulation were leech application (80%), acupuncture (79.2%), and hypnosis (76.2%). 75% of students used TCM practices. The desire to recommend TCM methods to their patients and to receive education about these methods was found to be associated with a higher level of knowledge about TCM and the use of TCM. 64.2% of the students want TCM to be included in the medical education curriculum, and 77.9% want to receive TCM training. Conclusion: Medical faculty students have a positive perception and high interest about TCM. They are mostly positive about integrating TCM into the medical school curriculum. With the arrangements to be made in the medical education curriculum, the level of knowledge and awareness of future physicians will increase. In addition, the gap in TCM practices, which are widely used today, will be filled and they will be able to help their patients more.