The use of complementary and alternative medicine among chronic renal failure patients

The aim of this study is to evaluate the factors affecting the use and frequency of use of complementary and alternative medicine among chronic renal failure patients.

The use of complementary and alternative medicine in the general population and patients with chronic renal failure has increased significantly. Despite this, there is limited information concerning the use of complementary and alternative medicine among chronic renal failure patients.

Cross-sectional survey.

The research was carried out at the nephrology and internal medicine outpatient clinics. Two hundred and six chronic renal failure patients admitted to the outpatient clinics were included in the study. Mean outcomes measures were the frequency and type of complementary and alternative medicine use, demographic and disease-related characteristics affecting complementary and alternative medicine use and the reasons for using complementary and alternative medicine. The data were evaluated by Pearson's chi-square test and Fisher's exact test.

While 2·9% of the patients had been using complementary and alternative medicine before the renal disease occurred, 25·2% of the patients reported that they had at least once used complementary and alternative medicine methods after the renal disease occurred. A significant difference was found between complementary and alternative medicine usage and age, gender, place of living, occupational status and educational background (p < 0·05). While most of the patients using complementary and alternative medicine (78·3%) stated that they used such methods as a cure for their disease, 46·1% used body-mind techniques.

The results of our study showed that one-fourth of the chronic renal failure patients were using complementary and alternative medicine, mainly body-mind techniques. In addition, the study proved that most of the patients do not discuss their complementary and alternative medicine usage with their doctors and nurses.

It is essential that nephrology doctors and nurses should ask specific questions about complementary and alternative medicine usage while taking anamnesis on the patients' disease and nutritional status and that the nephrology team should expand their knowledge on complementary and alternative medicine methods to ensure patient and treatment safety.