Safety perception and knowledge of commonly used complementary and alternative medicine among physicians in Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital Sokoto, North‑Western Nigeria

Background: Knowledge and safety perception of physicians concerning commonly used complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) may have influence on decisions of treatment and life of patients. This study determined the knowledge and safety perception of CAM among physicians in an Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), a tertiary institution in Sokoto, North-Western Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A survey based on an anonymous questionnaire was performed among 221 doctors of UDUTH Sokoto, North-Western Nigeria using a 30-item validated questionnaire to examine their level of awareness and safety perception on CAM. Results: The lifetime prevalence of CAM use among doctors was 69.3% while current CAM use was about 12%. About half (47.5%) of the doctors think CAM use is unsafe. About 84.6%, 86.4%, and 64.3% of doctors think CAM use can cause adverse reactions/side effects, drug interactions, and noncompliance, respectively. Residents/consultants (84.5%) were more likely to correctly identify the standard definitions of CAM compared with house officers/medical officers (77.3%) ( P = 0.02). A significantly higher percentage of consultants/residents were found to associate the use of CAM with poor adherence to conventional drugs compared with HO/MO ( P = 0.02). Conclusion: This study demonstrates high degree of concern about the safety of CAM as it relates to adverse reactions/side effects, drug interactions, and noncompliance to orthodox medicine among physicians in UDUTH. There was an acceptable level of knowledge of CAM.