Anästhesie und klinische Forschung
Offener Zugang

Abstrakt

Knowledge and Attitude of Oncology Practitioners towards Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Cancer Care in Qatar

Azza Adel Hassan

Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate the knowledge and attitude of oncology practitioners at NCCCR towards complementary and alternative medicine in cancer treatment.

Background: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) refers to a set of healthcare practices that are not conventionally used in the country’s hospitals. CAM is widely used by patients who suffer from cancer (from 10%-80%) and authorities call for improving knowledge and experience of oncology practitioners about CAM, so that they can guide their patients about its safe use.

Design: Descriptive cross-sectional study.

Methods: An anonymous survey of a sample of 75 random practitioners (physicians, nutritionists, psychologists, social workers, pharmacist, physiotherapists, and dieticians excluding nurses) was conducted at the National center for cancer care and research in Doha, Qatar. A semi-structured novel of a 17-item questionnaire was distributed to the staff at NCCCR. The survey collected data regarding benefits, risks, safety, efficacy, and interest in CAM education among NCCCR staff. The Total numbers of questions were 80.

Results: Our study showed that 7% of the respondents never heard about CAM. However, 90% of HCP were interested in CAM education opportunities. Herbal medicine was the most familiar type of CAM among HCP (83%), followed by vitamins and minerals (67%), Acupuncture (60%), Massage (57%) and Nutritional Therapy (56%).

Some types of CAM therapy were less familiar such as Aromatherapy (28%), Reflexology (27%), Hypnosis (24%) and Art therapies (23%).

The majority of HCP thought that CAM therapy improves patient’s psychological and emotional well-being (87%), Quality of life (61%), helps to relieve symptoms of disease (35%) and cure their disease (7%). Concerning safety of CAM usage, 67% of the respondents thought it is safe to use, while 21% thought it is not safe.

Conclusion: There is a need of integrating an educational and training program regarding CAM practices and usages in order to enhance cancer patients’ management and ensure a more holistic and efficient cancer treatment for patients in Qatar.