Trend and Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Gastroenterology Patients

The present study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of trend and use of complementary and alternative medicine in patients referring to the Gastroenterology clinics in Mashhad.  

The present cross-sectional study was performed at Gastroenterology clinics affiliated with Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. The study began in December 2015 and ended in March 2017. The study subjects (n=751) were randomly selected from patients referring to Gastroenterology clinics in the city of Mashhad.  Patients responded to the questions through interviews. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS-16 statistical software.

This study was conducted on 751 patients referring to gastroenterologists; of whom, 274 (48.36%) were male and 476 (38.63) were female. According to the results, the most popular complementary and alternative medicine treatments were respectively herbal medicine, cupping therapy and acupuncture. A significant difference was observed in the means at is faction with complementary and alternative medicine between those who believed in it and those who did not (p=0.001); but, no significant difference was detected in mean satisfaction with complementary and alternative medicine between patients with different occupations (p=0.193). There was also a significant difference in the number of patients between the group of patients receiving chemical medication and the group of patients receiving complementary and alternative medicine therapies (p=0.005). No significant difference was found in the level of satisfaction with complementary and alternative medicine between participants referring to the Gastroenterology clinics for different causes (p=0.431); nonetheless, the highest satisfaction was observed in patients with malignancy, and the lowest satisfaction was detected in patients with esophageal disorders.

This study indicated the high prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine in Iran. The worldwide popularity of complementary and alternative medicine should not be overlooked, therefore; current medical treatment systems need to be revised and modified