Determinants of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Use among Patients Attending Outpatient Clinics of Tanta University Hospitals, Egypt; A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is widely used among the Egyptian population in general and patients in particular, especially during the last few years. Objective: to investigate the determinants and prevalence of CAM use among patients attending Tanta University Hospitals (TUHs). Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out at the outpatient clinics at TUHs. A systematic random sample of 450 outpatients was interviewed and self-filled an Arabic questionnaire from March 20th to the end of April 2022. Results: Over half (59.6%) of the patients used CAM in the past year. The most common forms used were herbal products (78%), products of natural origin (70%), Holy Quran and Ruqyah (64%), and diet supplements (46%). Old patients, housewife (76%), and secondary school-educated participants (71%) had statistically significantly higher frequency of use than other age, occupation, and educational groups. There were no significant differences in use by gender, residence, marital status, and income. Motives of use were the beliefs that CAM has no side effects, less expensive than modern treatment, religiously and socially supported, and unsatisfactory results with modern medicine (82.8%, 79.9%, 62.7%, and 39.6%, respectively). Seventy-seven percent of the studied patients had a positive attitude toward CAM. Conclusion: A considerable percentage of patients were using CAM, especially herbal products and products of natural origins besides the Holy Quran. The motives of CAM use described in this study underscore the need of education of patients about CAM and its misconceptions.