Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use among Cancer Patients in Iraq

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is becoming more popular among cancer patients, but they may be reluctant to inform their medical team about it. As a result, this study aims to determine the levels of CAM usage and the factors that influence its adoption among cancer patients. This cro...

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Main Authors: Hisham S Ibrahim Al-shaikhli, Redhwan Al-Naggar, Mahmoud Alkhateeb
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Qubahan 2024-10-01
Series:Qubahan Academic Journal
Online Access:https://journal.qubahan.com/index.php/qaj/article/view/582
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author Hisham S Ibrahim Al-shaikhli
Redhwan Al-Naggar
Mahmoud Alkhateeb
author_facet Hisham S Ibrahim Al-shaikhli
Redhwan Al-Naggar
Mahmoud Alkhateeb
author_sort Hisham S Ibrahim Al-shaikhli
collection DOAJ
description Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is becoming more popular among cancer patients, but they may be reluctant to inform their medical team about it. As a result, this study aims to determine the levels of CAM usage and the factors that influence its adoption among cancer patients. This cross-sectional study was conducted in three main hospitals in Iraq. The questionnaire consists of the socio-demographic profile, clinical characteristics of cancer, and CAM use. A one-way ANOVA and a Fisher exact test were performed after descriptive statistics were computed to identify the variables connected to the different CAM types that were utilized. The most popular forms of CAM were Quran recitation/water read upon Quran (80.1%), herbal treatment (10%), spiritual therapy/prayers (4.2%), black seeds and honey (3.8%), olive oil/Green tea (1%), and Zamzam wa.7%). The two most often mentioned reasons to use complementary and alternative medicine were to improve physical well-being and increase the body's ability to fight cancer (56.3% and 11.2%, respectively).  Factors such as age, marital status, educational attainment, employment status, prior use of complementary and alternative medicine, family income, and the duration of cancer diagnosis were found to be associated with the use of CAM among cancer patients. Healthcare professionals must have frank conversations with their cancer patients about the use of CAM and consider the socioeconomic factors that are closely linked to CAM use. Furthermore, it is important to communicate with patients about CAM use's possible benefits and limitations based on current evidence.
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spelling doaj-art-900ee63a02384bc8a7fce2dbded83daa2025-02-03T10:11:30ZengQubahanQubahan Academic Journal2709-82062024-10-014410.48161/qaj.v4n4a582582Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use among Cancer Patients in IraqHisham S Ibrahim Al-shaikhli0Redhwan Al-Naggar1Mahmoud Alkhateeb2Department of Pre-Clinical Affairs, College of Nursing, QU-Health Sector, Qatar University, Doha, P.O. Box 2713, Qatar.Faculty of Medicine, AlJeel AlJadeed University, Sanaa, Yemen.Department of Pre-Clinical Affairs, College of Nursing, QU-Health Sector, Qatar University, Doha, P.O. Box 2713, Qatar; Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is becoming more popular among cancer patients, but they may be reluctant to inform their medical team about it. As a result, this study aims to determine the levels of CAM usage and the factors that influence its adoption among cancer patients. This cross-sectional study was conducted in three main hospitals in Iraq. The questionnaire consists of the socio-demographic profile, clinical characteristics of cancer, and CAM use. A one-way ANOVA and a Fisher exact test were performed after descriptive statistics were computed to identify the variables connected to the different CAM types that were utilized. The most popular forms of CAM were Quran recitation/water read upon Quran (80.1%), herbal treatment (10%), spiritual therapy/prayers (4.2%), black seeds and honey (3.8%), olive oil/Green tea (1%), and Zamzam wa.7%). The two most often mentioned reasons to use complementary and alternative medicine were to improve physical well-being and increase the body's ability to fight cancer (56.3% and 11.2%, respectively).  Factors such as age, marital status, educational attainment, employment status, prior use of complementary and alternative medicine, family income, and the duration of cancer diagnosis were found to be associated with the use of CAM among cancer patients. Healthcare professionals must have frank conversations with their cancer patients about the use of CAM and consider the socioeconomic factors that are closely linked to CAM use. Furthermore, it is important to communicate with patients about CAM use's possible benefits and limitations based on current evidence. https://journal.qubahan.com/index.php/qaj/article/view/582
spellingShingle Hisham S Ibrahim Al-shaikhli
Redhwan Al-Naggar
Mahmoud Alkhateeb
Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use among Cancer Patients in Iraq
Qubahan Academic Journal
title Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use among Cancer Patients in Iraq
title_full Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use among Cancer Patients in Iraq
title_fullStr Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use among Cancer Patients in Iraq
title_full_unstemmed Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use among Cancer Patients in Iraq
title_short Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use among Cancer Patients in Iraq
title_sort complementary and alternative medicine use among cancer patients in iraq
url https://journal.qubahan.com/index.php/qaj/article/view/582
work_keys_str_mv AT hishamsibrahimalshaikhli complementaryandalternativemedicineuseamongcancerpatientsiniraq
AT redhwanalnaggar complementaryandalternativemedicineuseamongcancerpatientsiniraq
AT mahmoudalkhateeb complementaryandalternativemedicineuseamongcancerpatientsiniraq