Knowledge and experiences of complementary and alternative medical practices among patients presenting to an orthopedic clinic: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the level of knowledge about complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practices and the frequency of CAM use and treatment among patients who presented to an orthopedic outpatient clinic. Patients who presented to the orthopedics outpatient clinic of Dr. Abdurrahman Yurtaslan Ankara Oncology Training and Research Hospital between February 1 and April 1, 2020, were invited to participate in this study. A questionnaire containing 11 questions about 14 different CAM approaches, designed to determine patients’ knowledge of and attitudes toward each of these practices, was administered by the responsible physician through face-to-face interviews. A total of 359 patients were included in the study, the mean age was 49.0 ± 16.1 years and 240 (66.9%) were women. Of the 455 individuals who were considered eligible for the study, 96 refused to participate. The majority of the participants (78.8%) stated that they knew of at least one CAM approach. The most common sources of information were families or friends (54.1%). Of the participants, 30.6% had previously received at least one CAM treatment. About half of the participants (52.6%) stated that they would consider using the methods that they had heard of. The three most commonly known and applied methods were cupping, leech therapy, and acupuncture, respectively. Only 36.4% of the treatments were applied by health professionals. Almost all patients presenting to the orthopedics outpatient clinic had some knowledge of CAM approaches and more than half of them stated that they received such treatments. Health professionals should be aware that society is interested in these practices, regardless of professional support or opposition. All patients presenting to outpatient clinics should be asked about their usage of CAM methods, and the potential interactions of patients’ treatments with CAM practices should be considered.