Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice toward Persian Medicine among Medical School Staff

Abstract

The use of complementary and alternative medicine is increasing throughout the world. Traditional Persian medicine, with a long history, is well known as a branch of complementary and alternative medicine and has a role in the prevention and treatment of diseases. Knowledge, attitude, and practice toward Persian medicine among Medical School staff were assessed in this study because of the importance of education in this field. This cross-sectional study was performed in 2020. As there was no specific questionnaire for assessment of knowledge, attitude, and practice toward Persian medicine, data were collected by a researcher-made questionnaire that was found to be both valid and reliable; the data were then analyzed statistically using SPSS software version 25. One hundred and fifty-three staff members were included in this study. The average score of performance in using treatment modalities in traditional Persian medicine was moderate, but the average score of knowledge about Persian medicine treatment modalities was low. The average score of attitude was positive, and 66.6% of people agreed with participating in the short-term course of traditional Persian medicine. The participants in this study showed moderate performance and a positive attitude towards traditional Persian medicine despite little knowledge of different Persian medicine treatment modalities. Most people expressed a desire to get acquainted with it. Therefore, it is suggested that courses be held to inform the staff about traditional Persian medicine.