Viewpoints of Patients in Qazvin Towards Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Abstract

Background: We have little information on the degree of individuals’ in Iran and their use of complementary and alternative medicine, its variations and the causes of people’s tendency towards the treatments used in the methods mentioned above. Objectives: In 2012, we set out to study the viewpoints of patients in Qazvin, Iran, examining how they feel about complementary and alternative medicine. Patients and Methods: In a cross-sectional study, data were collected through the use of a questionnaire. A total of 293 patients who had been referred to the complementary and alternative medicine centers were surveyed. These centers practice methods such as cupping, homeopathy and acupuncture. The questionnaire was divided in two parts, demographic questions and main questions, in this particular study. The data were analyzed using SPSS software version 19 with P < 0.05. Results: The mean age of the participants was 37.2 ± 13.3, and 60.8 percent of them were men. In all, 70.6 percent and 24.4 percent of respondents were married and single, respectively. About 58 percent had completed their undergraduate education. The cause of 31.3 percent of the participants’ visits was mental sicknesses, 20.2 percent attended due to rheumatologic diseases, and 8.2 percent applied to the mentioned treatment centers seeking relief from skin-related diseases. Ninety-one percent of the participants reported using alternative and complementary medicine for its efficiency. The levels of high satisfaction they reported gaining from the center’s homeopathy, acupuncture, and phlebotomy services were 17.2%, 16.5%, and 18.2%, respectively. In addition, 70 percent of the patients found the new treatment method to be quite successful, while 27 percent found it to be less effective than other approaches they had tried. Conclusions: The people were receptive to the use of alternative and complementary medicine and their satisfaction level was high. Keywords: Homeopathy, Acupuncture, Phlebotomy