Trends in Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Eastern Turkey

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the types and prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among adults in eastern Turkey and to evaluate the relationship between the use of CAM and sociodemographic characteristics. Design: This study was a random-sampled survey examining patterns of use of complementary therapies in two university hospitals in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. Setting and subjects: Seven-hundred-fourteen (714) adult participants were interviewed at two sites: two university hospitals both located in Erzurum. Subjects were excluded if they did not speak Turkish because this may sometimes cause communication problems between patients and health care professionals. Patients younger than 18 years old and those residing outside of the eastern region of Turkey were not included in this study. Measurement: Use of CAM within the previous year. Results: Seventy percent (70%) of participants reported the use of CAM. Herbs (41%) were the most frequently cited therapies. Although 87% of the subjects reported that they were satisfied with their use of CAM, the majority (84.8%) did not discuss the use of these therapies with their primary physicians. Conclusions: This study revealed that there is a high prevalence of use of alternative therapies by individuals living in eastern Turkey.