Background: Complementary Medicine (CAM) refers to a group of therapeutic and diagnostic disciplines that exist largely outside the institutions where conventional health care is taught and provided for treating patients. Some of these disciplines are based on systems practiced thousands of years ago. In the 1970s and 1980s, these disciplines were mainly provided as an alternative to conventional health care and hence became known collectively as "alternative medicine." The name "complementary medicine" developed as the two systems began to be used alongside (to "complement") each other. Complementary medicine is an increasing feature of healthcare practice, but considerable confusion remains about what exactly it is and what position the disciplines included under this term should hold in relation to conventional medicine.
0bjective: To study the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of complementary medicine (KAP Study)
Design: Cross sectional study
Setting: Tehran city
Time: Oct 2003 – Oct 2004
Participants: 4123 subjects (higher than 15 years old age)
Sampling: Cluster
Data gathering tool: Questionnaire
Dependent variables: Complementary medicine (Energy therapy, Homeopathy, Acupuncture, Hypnotism, Yoga, Herbal medication and Meditation)
Independent variables: Sex, Age, Education, Job and Marriage status
Results: This survey on the knowledge and use of complementary medicine in the Tehran city of Iran showed that 83.2% of studied population knew some form of complementary medicine. Herbal medication is more popular than other forms of CAM among population of Tehran; therefore, with exclusion of herbal medication, 58.6% of studied population knew some form of complementary medicine.
Priorities of knowledge prevalence of every studied form of CAM in population of Tehran city are as following:
Herbal medication (75.6%), acupuncture (43.6%), hypnotism (39.2%), energy therapy (28.1%), yoga (22.1%), meditation (5.3%) and homeopathy (4.1%).
42.2% of studied population had used some form of complementary medicine (CAM). Herbal medication is more popular than other forms of CAM; therefore, with exclusion of herbal medication, 9.6% of studied population had used some form of complementary medicine.
Priorities of usage prevalence of every studied form of CAM in population of Tehran city are as following:
Herbal medication (38.4%), energy therapy (3.4%), yoga (3%), acupuncture (2.7%), meditation (5.3%), hypnosis (1.2%), and homeopathy (0.4%).
Conclusion: Public knowledge and demand for complementary medicine is considerable. Demand for complementary medicine had growth therefore we need more attention to planning for treatment and academic approach to complementary medicine. We should listen less to the opinions of those who either overtly promote or stubbornly reject complementary and alternative medicine without acceptable evidence.
Ministry of Health provision might go some way to ensuring certain minimum standards such as proper regulation, standardized note keeping, effective channels of communication (patients also want to be protected from unqualified complementary practitioners and inappropriate treatments) and participation in research. It would also facilitate ongoing medical assessment. Its future should be determined by unbiased scientific evaluation.