Frequency of complementary medicine use and attitudes among Iranian patients with chronic diseases

Abstract

The study aimed to determine the frequency of the use of complementary medicine (CM) in patients with chronic diseases and its relationship with their attitude towards CM. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Sina Hospital, a general clinical setting located in Tabriz city, Northwest Iran. A total of 400 adult patients with chronic diseases—including cardiac, rheumatologic, endocrine, and nephrological conditions—were recruited using convenience sampling from both specialized outpatient clinics and a traditional medicine unit. Data collection involved structured interviews conducted in clinical settings. Descriptive statistics and bivariate tests were performed, followed by binary logistic regression analysis to identify predictors of CM modality use. According to the result, the most commonly used complementary and alternative Medicine within the past 12 months were Herbal Medicine, Prayer Therapy, Water therapy, Cupping and Massage Therapy with 83, 36, 27, 11, and 8%, respectively. The mean scores of the patients’ attitude towards holistic health were higher than their attitude towards the validity of complementary medicine (21.37 vs. 15.88). Logistic regression analysis revealed that belief in holistic health significantly predicted lower odds of using herbal medicine (OR = 0.85, p =.005), prayer therapy (OR = 0.85, p =.018), and water therapy (OR = 0.82, p =.009). Belief in CM’s scientific validity was positively associated with prayer therapy use (OR = 1.24, p <.001). Additional predictors varied by modality: increased age and high economic status predicted greater use of prayer and water therapies, whereas gender and education levels showed mixed associations. The use of herbal medicine was common among patients with chronic diseases. Therefore, health care providers should pay attention to the use of herbal medicine by their patients considering their interactions with modern medications, efficacy, and side effects. Given the poor attitude towards the validity of CM, there is a need for community-level education on the use of CM for prescribing it by professional practitioners.