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BELIEFS AND ATTITUDES OF PARAMEDICAL COLLEGE STAFF TOWARDS COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATE MEDICINE.

ABSTRACT: Complementary and alternate medicine (CAM) has been defined as a group of diverse medical and healthcare systems, practices, and products not presently considered part of conventional medicine (CM). Studies in different countries have revealed a geographical difference in the knowledge about CAM therapies, especially among medical school staff and students. This study aimed to assess the extent of CAM use among staff working in paramedical colleges in the Riyadh region of Saudi Arabia and to examine their perception and attitudes towards such medicines.Eighty paramedical staff members of different age groups and specializations were invited to participate in the study. A self-administered questionnaire adapted from similar studies was used in this study.The response rate was 99%. The majority of respondents (56%) reported believing that CAM therapies play an important complementary role to the action ofCM.To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study of its kind to assess peoples' attitudes towards CAM use in the region. As the use of healing practices outside of CM rise among patients, ignorance of CAM by future medical practitioners can cause a communication gap between people and the profession that serves them. It is encouraging that the majority of medical staff in this study recognizes and is enthusiastic to rectify this lack of knowledge. List of Non-Standard Abbreviations: CAM: Complementary and alternate medicine; CM: Conventional medicine.

SUBMITTER: Alghadir AH

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5416637 | biostudies-other | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Project description:BackgroundPrevious studies have shown that attitudes towards depression may be influenced by country-specific social and cultural factors. A survey was carried out to collect beliefs on and attitudes toward depression in Italy, which has an established community-based mental health system.MethodsA telephone survey was carried out in a probabilistic sample aged ≥15 years. A 20-item questionnaire was administered to explore knowledge of depression, stigma, causal beliefs, treatment preference, and help-seeking attitudes.ResultsOf the 1001 participants, 98% were aware of depression, and 62% had experienced it, either directly or indirectly. A widespread belief (75%) was that people suffering from depression should avoid talking about their problem. A minority of the sample viewed depression as a condition that should be managed without recourse to external help or a "socially dangerous" illness. Among perceived causes of depression, most respondents mentioned life stressors or physical strains. Psychologists were often indicated as an adequate source of professional help. Half of the sample believed that depression should be pharmacologically treated, but drugs were often seen as addictive. Referring to a primary care physician (PCP) was considered embarrassing; furthermore, many people thought that PCPs are too busy to treat patients suffering from depression.ConclusionsOur findings indicate that depression is seen as a reaction to significant life events that should be overcome with the support of significant others or the help of health professionals (mainly psychologists). However, there are still barriers to the disclosure of depressive symptoms to PCPs, and concerns about the addictive effect of antidepressants. In the presence of a gap between people's beliefs and what health professionals consider appropriate for the treatment of depression, a "shared decision making" approach to treatment selection should be adopted taking into account the patients' preference for psychological interventions to ensure active compliance with effective treatments.

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BELIEFS AND ATTITUDES OF PARAMEDICAL COLLEGE STAFF TOWARDS COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATE MEDICINE.

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