Satisfaction, self-use and perception of medical students in Majmaah University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, towards Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Abstract

Abstract Objectives Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is a growing industry in the health care system, and the use of CAM is rapidly evolving. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), little research has addressed the satisfaction, use and perception of medical students towards CAM. The objectives of the current study were to assess the level of medical students' satisfaction and perception towards studying CAM and to determine their self-use of different modalities of CAM. Methods This descriptive study was conducted by administering a questionnaire to the first and second batches of the medical students studying the CAM module at the College of Medicine, Majmaah University KSA. The instrument used in this study was a validated self-administered questionnaire, and the retrieved data were analysed using SPSS. Results Thirty students (43%) were satisfied with studying CAM as a part of the medical curriculum. The rest of the students were either dissatisfied (32%) or neutral (25%). The most important CAM modalities self-used by the medical students were prayers (46 students or 66.7%), herbal products (42 students or 60.9%) and massage (32 students or 46.4%). Forty-three students (62%) showed a positive perception towards practicing CAM in the future. Conclusion This study has shown that there is an overall low satisfaction among the medical students regarding CAM as a part of the medical curriculum. The most common self-use CAM modalities by the medical students were prayers, herbal products, massage, nutritional supplements and acupuncture.