Attitudes towards traditional and complementary medicine in nursing students experiencing COVID-19

Dolu S., Çırak K., Taşan N., Canpolat M., Korkmaz M.

Sağlık Akademisyenleri Dergisi, cilt.12, sa.2, ss.279-288, 2025 (Hakemli Dergi)

Özet

ABSTRACT

Introduction and Aim: It is essential to know the attitudes and approaches of nursing students, who will be future

nurses who will assume a critical role in the health system, towards Traditional and Complementary Medicine

(TCM) practices. This study examined the relationship between the TCM attitudes of nursing students who had

COVID-19 and how they had COVID-19. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted as a descriptive

cross-sectional study between October 2022 and May 2023 with nursing students at XXX University, YYY

University, and ZZZ University. Results and Conclusion: Of the 357 nursing students participating in the study,

71.1% were female, 97.5% were single, and the mean age was 20.95±2.30 years. 79.6% of the students

thought COVID-19 was dangerous, and 89.9% had received the COVID-19 vaccine. In addition, 74.2% of the

students had COVID-19 at home without treatment. The evaluation using the Complementary, Alternative, and

Conventional Medicine Attitudes Scale (CACMAS) determined that students generally had a positive attitude

toward TCM. The mean total score of the scale was 113.00±15.83. It was found that as the age of the students

and the duration of COVID-19 increased, their dissatisfaction with modern medicine increased. It was determined

that nursing students who had COVID-19 had positive attitudes towards TCM and how COVID-19 affected their

attitudes. Knowing the attitudes of nursing students, who are the nurses of the future, towards TCM practices

will contribute to future studies on TCM practices.