PHARMACY AND MIDWIFERY STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES AND PERCEPTIONS OF COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINES (CAM) DURING PREGNANCY
Keywords:
complementary and alternative medicines, midwifery students, pharmacy students, attitudes, pregnancyAbstract
Background: The use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAMs) is growing worldwide.
Purpose: This study aimed to determine midwifery and pharmacy students’ attitudes toward CAMs, their safety, and efficacy during pregnancy.
Methodology: In April 2023, 151 midwifery and pharmacy students from Salsabila Serang College of Health Science were recruited using a total sampling method. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data.
Results: The vast majority of students (98.68%) believe that complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) are useful and that they should have a better understanding of them (98.67%). While 70-90% of these students consider certain CAM therapies to be safe and effective, a large number of them recommend CAM therapies during pregnancy. A majority of midwifery and pharmacy students believe that CAM may pose a risk to public health (62.25%). Despite this, they view CAM as a useful tool in general and approve of the benefits of some CAM therapies during pregnancy. Given the strong interest in this field among students, it is recommended that training programs be developed in their curriculum studies to educate students on the benefits and side effects of CAMs.
