Integration of traditional and complementary medicine into medical school curricula: a survey among medical students in Makerere University, Uganda

Abstract

ObjectiveTo describe the disposition and sociodemographic characteristics of medical students associated with inclusion of traditional and complementary medicine in medical school curricula in Uganda.DesignA cross-sectional study conducted during May 2017. A pretested questionnaire was used to collect data. Disposition to include principles of traditional and complementary medicine into medical school curricula was determined as proportion and associated factors determined through multivariate logistic regression.Participants and settingMedical students in their second to fifth years at the College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Uganda. Makerere University is the oldest public university in the East African region.Results393 of 395 participants responded. About 60% (192/325) of participants recommended inclusion of traditional and complementary medicine principles into medical school curricula in Uganda. The disposition to include traditional and complementary medicine into medical school curricula was not associated with sex, age group or region of origin of the students. However, compared with the second year students, the third (OR 0.34; 95% CI 0.17 to 0.66) and fifth (OR 0.39; 95% CI 0.16 to 0.93) year students were significantly less likely to recommend inclusion of traditional and complementary medicine into the medical school curricula. Participants who hold positive attributes and believe in effectiveness of traditional and complementary medicine were statistically significantly more likely to recommend inclusion into the medical school curricula in Uganda.ConclusionsInclusion of principles of traditional and complementary medicine into medical school curricula to increase knowledge, inform practice and research, and moderate attitudes of physicians towards traditional medicine practice is acceptable by medical students at Makerere University. These findings can inform review of medical schools’ curricula in Uganda.

The Effect of Socio-Demographic and Cultural Features on Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Healthcare Students

“…Values and beliefs regarding religion, politics, and health affect the use of traditional treatment among individuals. [15] It is important that health professionals know different approaches as they are the ones to moderate TCAM practices.…”

“…[11,13] A study conducted at a university in the United Arab Emirates found the rate of TCAM users as 34%, whereas another study from Uganda found that 59% of the participants used TCAM. [14,15] The rate of TCAM use varies from country to country and even in different regions of the same country.…”

“…Another available study found an association between education and gender variables and TCAM, in which the participants recommended the use of TCAM to others. [14] The research of Mederious found that, out of all socio-demographic variables, only the female gender was an influencing factor,whereas Mwaka et al [15] reported the class of participants as the influencing factor. [27] On the other hand, Samara et al [28] found the class, long-term location of residence and income level effective.…”

“…Values and beliefs regarding religion, politics, and health affect the use of traditional treatment among individuals. [15] It is important that health professionals know different approaches as they are the ones to moderate TCAM practices. The results of the study demonstrate that socio-demographic and educational characteristics are effective in use of TCAM methods among the undergraduate healthcare students from two different cities.…”

Crenças sobre “cura espiritual” entre estudantes e professores de medicina: um estudo qualitativo

“…Internacionalmente, tratamentos não-convencionais, medicina alternativa e complementar (CAM), tratamentos espirituais complementares e congêneres crescem em aceitação e interesse de pesquisa entre médicos e estudantes de medicina em países tão diversos como Alemanha, China, Paquistão, Uganda, Palestina e Arábia Saudita (Münstedt, Harren, Georgi e Kackethal, 2011;Song e Tang, 2017;Ashraf et al, 2019;Mwaka et al, 2019;Ahmad et al, 2019;Khan et al, 2020).…”