Attitudes and beliefs of nurses and technicians towards complementary-alternative medicine

Introduction. Complementary and alternative medicine is used more and more in the communities but there are differences in attitudes, beliefs and knowledge about it among and within different medical professions. The aims of this study are to determine the attitude of nurses and medical technicians towards methods of complementary and alternative medicine and to determine the levels of personal use and willingness to recommend their patients methods of complementary and alternative medicine that have been adopted by the Health Ministry of the Republic of Serbia. Material and Methods. The research included 126 nurses and technicians. The survey was conducted at the General Hospital in Subotica. The Complementary and alternative medicine Health Belief Questionnaire was used to determine the attitudes of nurses and technicians towards complementary and alternative medicine. A custom questionnaire was designed for this study in order to determine the willingness to recommend complementary and alternative medicine to their patients. Results. The average score on the Health Belief Questionnaire suggested the positive attitudes of nurses and technicians. There was a positive correlation between the attitudes and recommendations given to the patients to accept diagnostic and treatment methods and rehabilitation methods. The most recommended methods to the patients were those used by the participants themselves. Conclusion. Most of the nurses and technicians have the positive attitude towards complementary and alternative medicine, and this can be a result of positive personal experience and at the same time a reason that explains the recommendations given to the patients.