Awareness of Apitherapy: a study of healthcare professionals in Türkiye

Apitherapy is a part of traditional and complementary medicine (TCM) in Türkiye. It is defined as using bees and bee products as supplementation in the cure of several diseases. This study was conducted between 05.05.2023 and 05.06.2023 throughout Türkiye using an online survey to examine healthcare professionals' levels of knowledge concerning apitherapy and the factors affecting these.

Seven hundred-three questionnaires of suitable data quality were included. SPSS 23.0 software was used in the data analysis. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed using the Backward LR elimination method to determine the factors with the most impact on awareness of apitherapy. Statistical significance was considered to be p < 0.05.

Analysis showed that 55.9% of healthcare professionals were aware of apitherapy. Educational attainment (p = 0.023), profession (p = 0.000), work experience (p = 0.017), and the presence of chronic disease (p = 0.012) all had an effect on awareness of the concept of apitherapy. It was determined that 60.8% of the participants were unaware that apitherapy is subject to certain regulation in Türkiye. Although apitherapy is practiced by a certified physician, 49.9% of respondents were unaware of this information. On the other hand, 87.5% of healthcare professionals thought that apitherapy should be applied by a physician. Social media was the main source of knowledge regarding apitherapy for healthcare professionals. Only 30.5% chose undergraduate courses as a source of information.

The results highlighted that healthcare professionals had insufficient knowledge regarding apitherapy practices. Incorporating compulsory and/or elective courses on apitherapy into the curriculum of health education universities could improve knowledge and awareness of this topic.