Knowledge and attitude of physicians about cupping in Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari province, 2007

Cupping is method in traditional medicine which is used to treat some diseases. Therfore physicians need to have some information about this way of treatment. The aim of this study was to determine knowledge and attitude of physicians about cupping in Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari province. In this descriptive and analytical study, 152 employed physicians were selected by systematic sampling. Physicians were asked to fill an author made questionnaire in which their demographic characteristics, knowledge and attitude were asked. Data were analyzed using statistical tests include t test, spearman correlation and analysis of variance (ANOVA). 51.3% of physicians were female and others were male. The average age of physicians was 33.9±6. Sixteen percent of the participants had good knowledge for cupping and positive attitude for cupping was seen in 18% of total physicians. No significant relationship was seen between physicians knowledge and their age, sex and working place (P>0.05). The knowledge of specialist for the cupping was the same as general physicians (P>0.05). We found a significant difference between attitude and employment situation (P<0.001). Spearman test showed a positive correlation between knowledge and attitude (P<0.05). Patients normally expect that their physicians have enough knowledge about the cupping, but our study showed that it is not the case. So, it is necessary for the physicians to increase their knowledge about the cupping and also for the academic centers to revise their educational topics.