BackgroundCAM use is widespread, especially among patients with diabetes. The Gulf States have a high prevalence of diabetes, alongside a long tradition of CAM use. The aim of this study is to establish the prevalence of CAM use among patients with diabetes mellitus in Bahrain and to examine the characteristics of the CAM users.MethodsA questionnaire was developed and administered to a convenience sample of patients with diabetes (n = 402) above the age of 20 attending two hospital diabetes clinics. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests of association.Results63% of responders utilized CAM within the previous 12 months. CAM users were more likely to be female, to have had diabetes for longer and to have complications of their diabetes. 64% of CAM users stated that they had used CAM for managing their diabetic condition, with 46% of these having used it solely for their diabetes. Respondents using CAM to manage their diabetes were more likely to be male, to be using CAM on a daily basis and to have informed their physician of their CAM use.ConclusionsThere is a high rate of CAM use in patients with diabetes attending two hospital diabetes clinics in Bahrain. There is also a high rate of non-disclosure of CAM use to physicians. There is a continuing need for health professionals to be more aware and better trained in order to inform their decision making and communication related to CAM use.
BackgroundResearch in primary care is essential for disease diagnosis, management and prevention in relation to the individuals, families and the community. This research aims to study the attitude of primary care physicians towards conducting research in Bahrain and to identify the main barriers encountered during research.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted amongst 200 randomly selected primary care physicians registered in Ministry of Health affiliated primary healthcare centers in Bahrain. A self-administered validated questionnaire was adopted and used for data collection. Research data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.ResultsPrimary care physicians had a positive attitude towards conducting research with a total mean score (SD) of 4.47(0.65) (on a scale from 1 to 5 with higher scores indicating more positive attitudes). The total mean score (SD) for barriers encountered by physicians during research was 3.34 (0.80). Insufficient research allotted time (76.5%), insufficient financial support (63%), lack of financial incentives (51%) and lack of statistical support (50%) were major barriers. Physicians designation and board certificate were significantly associated with attitudes and barriers towards research (P-value < 0.05).ConclusionThe majority or primary care physicians had positive attitudes towards conducting research. The major difficulties faced by physicians in conducting research are: Insufficient research allotted time, lack of financial incentives and inadequate statistical support. The study addressed a gap in building research capacity which should be embraced by many institutions through partnership and collaboration.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12875-019-0911-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.