Knowledge and Attitudes towards Complementary and Alternative Medicine among Senior Medical Students in King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia
Joint Authors
Alzahrani, Sami H.
Bashawri, Jamil
Salawati, Emad M.
Bakarman, Marwan A.
Source
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Issue
Vol. 2016, Issue 2016 (31 Dec. 2016), pp.1-7, 7 p.
Publisher
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Publication Date
2016-03-14
Country of Publication
Egypt
No. of Pages
7
Main Subjects
Abstract EN
Objectives.
This study assessed the knowledge and attitudes regarding complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in medical students in Saudi Arabia.
Furthermore, it evaluated their views on the incorporation of CAM in their medical syllabus.
Methods.
The study was conducted by selecting a cross-sectional sample of senior medical students in the Faculty of Medicine.
A validated and reliable self-administered questionnaire was used to explore the knowledge, attitude, and benefits of CAM.
It was distributed to a sample of 273 students.
Results.
The study included 242 students, making the response rate 88.6%.
Only two-thirds of students (62.4%) were aware of acupuncture principles and only 17.4% recognized that chiropractic is associated with pain management.
The knowledge of common herbs such as St.
John’s Wort, Echinacea, and Ginkgo biloba was limited among the students.
Older students had a positive CAM attitude compared to younger students ( p = 0.027 ).
Conclusion.
Students attitudes toward CAM learning were encouraging regardless of their limited knowledge on the subject.
A high percentage of students agreed that CAM in combination with conventional therapy is beneficial in treating unusual cases, but the choice of CAM should be based on evidence.
Furthermore, medical students are still reluctant to have CAM practitioners in their referral network.
American Psychological Association (APA)
Alzahrani, Sami H.& Bashawri, Jamil& Salawati, Emad M.& Bakarman, Marwan A.. 2016. Knowledge and Attitudes towards Complementary and Alternative Medicine among Senior Medical Students in King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine،Vol. 2016, no. 2016, pp.1-7.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1104492
Modern Language Association (MLA)
Alzahrani, Sami H.…[et al.]. Knowledge and Attitudes towards Complementary and Alternative Medicine among Senior Medical Students in King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine No. 2016 (2016), pp.1-7.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1104492
American Medical Association (AMA)
Alzahrani, Sami H.& Bashawri, Jamil& Salawati, Emad M.& Bakarman, Marwan A.. Knowledge and Attitudes towards Complementary and Alternative Medicine among Senior Medical Students in King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2016. Vol. 2016, no. 2016, pp.1-7.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1104492
Data Type
Journal Articles
Language
English
Notes
Includes bibliographical references
Record ID
BIM-1104492