title: Knowledge and attitudes towards complementary and alternative medicine among medical students in Turkey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aims to examine knowledge and attitudes towards Complementary and Alternative Medicine among medical students in Turkey, and find out whether they want to be trained in Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM).
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was carried out between October and December 2010 among medical students. Data were collected from a total of seven medical schools.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study included 943 medical students. The most well known methods among the students were herbal treatment (81.2 %), acupuncture (80.8 %), hypnosis (78.8 %), body-based practices including massage (77 %) and meditation (65.2 %), respectively. Acupuncture, aromatherapy, herbal treatment and meditation were better known among female participants compared to males (p < 0.05). Females and first year students, generally had more positive attitudes. A larger proportion of female students compared to male students reported that a doctor should be knowledgeable about CAM (p = 0.001), and this knowledge would be helpful in their future professional lives (p = 0.015). Positive attitudes towards and willingness to receive training declined as the number of years spent in the faculty of medicine increased.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Majority of the medical students were familiar with the CAM methods widely used in Turkey, while most of them had positive attitudes towards CAM as well as willingness to receive training on the subject, and they were likely to recommend CAM methods to their patients in their future professional lives. With its gradual scientific development and increasing popularity, there appears a need for a coordinated policy in integrating CAM into the medical curriculum, by taking expectations of and feedback from medical students into consideration in setting educational standards.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Yeditepe University Faculty of Medicine, İnönü Mahallesi, Kadıköy, İstanbul, Turkey. hakan@yeditepe.edu.tr
authors.forename: Hulya
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Akan
authors.forename: Guldal
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Izbirak
authors.forename: Elif Ciğdem
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Kaspar
authors.forename: Ciğdem Apaydin
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Kaya
authors.forename: Serpil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aydin
authors.forename: Nejat
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Demircan
authors.forename: P Gamze
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Bucaktepe
authors.forename: Cahit
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ozer
authors.forename: Hüseyin A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Sahin
authors.forename: Osman
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hayran
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019359:Knowledge; D008297:Male; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014421:Turkey; D055815:Young Adult