ABSTRACT
Aims: The aims of this study were to examine the frequency of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among dermatology outpatients, and compare the socio demographic factors and dermatology life quality index (DLQI) values between CAM users and non-users. The CAM approaches and knowledge of the patients were also evaluated. Study Design: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used. Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at the Sisli Etfal Training and Research Hospital Dermatology outpatient clinic, between January of 2011 and May of 2011. Method: A total of 522 consecutive patients were included in this study. The patients were older than 18 years old, and answered an interviewer-administered questionnaire about CAM use. The demographics, dermatological condition, CAM treatment, time of usage, benefits and side effects, and the patients’ answers from the questions about CAM were recorded. The quality of life was evaluated using the Turkish version of the DLQI questionnaire. Results: The prevalence of CAM use was 16.8%, and the mean age of CAM users (28.2±14.3) was statistically lower than that of non-CAM users (36.0±16.9): 50% of the CAM users did not know the definition of CAM; 56.8% learned the CAM treatment model from a friend, neighbour or relative; 61.3% used CAM because of dissatisfaction with conventional medicine; 10% of the CAM users explained that they had benefits; and 18.2% claimed that they had side effects. There was a statistically significant difference between the mean DLQI scores of the CAM users (13.2±5.2) and non-users (11.5±4.2) (p=.05). Conclusion: This study determined that the usage of CAM was common; however, the knowledge of CAM was poor in our patients. The most commonly used CAM treatment was herbal therapy, and the major factors for choosing CAM were the disease duration and dissatisfaction with western conventional medicine. The measurement of the DLQI of the patients showed that CAM users were the patients most greatly affected by their skin conditions.