Original scientific paper
KNOWLEDGE OF COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE OF NURSING SCHOOL STUDENTS
INA STAŠEVIĆ
orcid.org/0000-0002-6912-2191
; University of Applied Sciences, Study of Nursing, Bjelovar, Croatia
MONIKA LOVREK SENIČIĆ
orcid.org/0000-0002-9233-4520
; Vinogradska School of Nursing, Zagreb, Croatia
DARKO ROPAC
orcid.org/0000-0002-9805-3869
; Catholic University of Croatia, Department of Nursing, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Introduction: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is the sum of unconventional medicine health practices accepted and regulated in many countries. This is not the case in Croatia so far. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of fi fth-year high school students about CAM, what are the sources of their knowledge, and their views concerning the need for its introduction into the curriculum. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Vinogradska School of Nursing in Zagreb. Study group consisted of 98 students aged 19-20. Students completed an anonymous, structured 19-question questionnaire designed for the purpose of this research. Results: The results showed 84.7% of study subjects to believe that they did not know enough about CAM methods of treatment. Information on CAM was not obtained from teachers at school, but from parents or through the internet/media. There was a signifi cant difference in the knowledge of CAM with respect to maternal education (χ2=4.440; p=0.035). The respondents who knew CAM were more often informed from patients about their using CAM methods (χ2=7.985; p=0.005). At the same time, they were much more likely to believe that CAM treatment methods should be implemented in education (χ2=6.390; p=0.01). Conclusion: Students found it very important that patients tell their doctors and nurses to use some form of CAM. As many as 72.4% of students believed that CAM methods of treatment should be implemented in the education of nurses/ technicians through vocational courses. Those students who already had some knowledge of CAM methods of treatment, regardless of the source of this knowledge, were more likely to be informed about the use of CAM methods.
Keywords
complementary and alternative medicine; medical school; students; curriculum
Hrčak ID:
237919
URI
Publication date:
24.4.2020.
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