scholarly journals Factors influencing referral delay of cancer patients to an oncology unit in the Southern Region of Saudi Arabia

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 025-030
Author(s):  
Al Zahrani Ali M ◽  
Ali Hatim M ◽  
Ahmed Shaza A ◽  
Abdelakher Ahmed M ◽  
Al Zahrani Asma A ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Health Facility ◽  
Educational Level ◽  
Southern Region ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicines ◽  
Cancer Symptoms ◽  
Alternative Medicines ◽  
Level 1 ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

Introduction: Cancer treatment and prognosis depend heavily on early detection. Survival in the early stages is excellent for almost all types of cancer. Unfortunately, in Saudi Arabia, a large number of cancer patients present with advanced disease, resulting in a poor prognosis. There are three levels of delay in the management of cancer patients. The first level is the time between the first cancer-related symptoms and the presentation to the health facility, the second level is from the presentation to the diagnosis, and the third level is between the diagnosis and the treatment. This study aims to determine if there is a delay, at what level and to study the factors causing such delays. Materials and methods: Two hundred cancer patients who presented to the Armed Forces Hospital Southern Region, Oncology Department, were interviewed from January 1st to June 30th, 2018. The interviews were conducted by trained physicians familiar with the questionnaire’s contents. The questionnaire consisted of four sections: a demographic section and three more sections to identify factors causing the delay at the three levels from the patients’ perspectives. All data were analyzed using the SPSS version 20.0. Results: The mean patient age was 63 years. A total of 112 patients were female and 88 were male. The most common cancer type was breast cancer (27.5%). Among the patients, 61% were illiterate and 25.5% had elementary school degrees, 86% expressed little or no general medical knowledge about cancer. More women than men paid attention to cancer symptoms (70% vs. 54%). 75% of the patients presented to the first health facility after 2 months from the first appearance of symptoms (level 1 delay). Only 2% of the patients presented within one week. 50% of the patients received a diagnosis after visiting two health facilities. All patients were diagnosed at hospitals. 40% of patients used alternative medicines, 70% of whom thought this was the cause of their delayed presentations. 67% had their diagnosis confirmed within one month (level 2 delay), and 66% started their definitive treatment within one month (level 3 delay). 75% of the patients blame themselves for the delay. Educational level (p = 0.03), knowledge about cancer (p < 0.01), and the use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) (p = 0.01) were significantly associated with delayed presentation of patients to the health facility. Conclusion: There is a delay in the presentation of cancer patients (level 1) in the southern part of Saudi Arabia. Educational level, knowledge of cancer symptoms, and use of complementary and alternative medicines are the main causes. There were no delays in diagnosis and start of treatment (level 2,3).

scholarly journals Awareness, Self-Use, Perceptions, Beliefs, and Attitudes toward Complementary and Alternative Medicines (CAM) among Health Professional Students in King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Aslam Khan ◽  
Mohamed Eldigre Ahmed ◽  
Ahmed Aldarmahi ◽  
Syed Faisal Zaidi ◽  
Ahmad M. Subahi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Health Professional ◽  
Educational Level ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicines ◽  
Professional Students ◽  
Alternative Medicines ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Health Professional Students ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

Background. Around 75% of the world’s population relies on the use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) for their healthcare. Thus, we aimed at assessing the attitude and perception of health professional students about CAM and correlate the results with their demographical data. Methods. An observational cross-sectional study was conducted at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, by enrolling 350 students. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was performed using SPSS. Results. Results of our data suggested that majority of students were aware of the CAM modalities and considered prayers/spirituality (83.6%), massage (72.5%), nutritional supplements (74.1%), cupping (68.5%), herbal medicine (66.2), and yoga (61.6%) as most effective and least harmful CAM modalities. The students acquired more information about CAM from media (55%), books (56%), friends/relatives (59.7%), and other health professionals (58.4%), however, very little information from formal CAM courses or training (36.7%), which shows the lack of courses and trained health professional in the field of CAM. Despite utilizing nonreliable sources of CAM information, the majority of students had positive attitudes and perceptions about CAM usage. Majority of the students (75.8%) believe in the use of CAM for the mental and spiritual aspect of health and think that CAM providers give good information on maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The data also showed a significant P<0.05 association between awareness about CAM and gender. A significantly higher percentage of female students were using yoga and aromatherapy, while cupping was mostly used by male students. Similarly, a significant association was found among the different colleges and level of students in most of the CAM modalities. However, no association was found between the awareness and use of CAM with the educational level of parents or relatives in health sector except for acupuncture and cupping, where student’s awareness about acupuncture and cupping was found to have a significant positive association with mother educational level. On the other hand, a significant inverse association was found between acupuncture, yoga, cupping, and aromatherapy with family income. Conclusion. In conclusion, despite the lack of proper courses and professionally trained healthcare providers in the field of CAM, students demonstrated positive attitudes and beliefs toward the safety and effectiveness of CAM.

Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicines among Cancer Patients: A Single-Center Study

Oncology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathilde Gras ◽  
Alexis Vallard ◽  
Christelle Brosse ◽  
Aurélie Beneton ◽  
Sandrine Sotton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Single Center ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicines ◽  
Alternative Medicines ◽  
Single Center Study ◽  
Center Study ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

Complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) disclosure to the health care providers: A qualitative insight from Malaysian cancer patients

2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 252-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Farooqui ◽  
Mohamed Azmi Hassali ◽  
Aishah Knight Abdul Shatar ◽  
Asrul Akmal Shafie ◽  
Muhammad Aslam Farooqui ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicines ◽  
Alternative Medicines ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

Use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) among Malaysian cancer patients for the management of chemotherapy related side effects (CRSE)

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharifah Nadia Syed Mohammad Salleh ◽  
Maryam Farooqui ◽  
Shubashini Gnanasan ◽  
Mahmathi Karuppannan
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Breast Cancer Patients ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Herbal Products ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicines ◽  
Alternative Medicines ◽  
Cam Use ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

Abstract Objectives Chemotherapy-related side effects (CRSE) are among the most distressing events cancer patients face. Some patients seek complementary and alternative medicines (CAM), increasing the risk of undesirable drug- CAM interactions. This study aims to identify the prevalence and type of CAM used for CRSE among cancer patients and patient’s disclosure of CAM use to their prescribers. Methods This was a questionnaire-based, cross-sectional study. Data was collected from cancer patients attending to three departments: surgical, medical and gynaecology at a local hospital in Malaysia. Ethical approval was obtained from the Medical Research Ethics Committee, Ministry of Health, Malaysia. Results A total of 273 patients were recruited. Prevalence of CAM used for CRSE management was 166 (60.8%). Of the CAM users, 144 (86.7%) were female, 102 (61.4%) were employed and 123 (74.1%) were married. Breast cancer patients were found to be the highest users of CAM (n=76; 45.8%). The top three CAM used by patients in managing CRSE were dietary supplements (n=166; 100%); herbal products (n=154; 92.8%) and traditional Malay therapy (n=147; 88.6%). About 83% (n=137) patients disclosed CAM use to their prescribers. Among these, 58 (42.3%) reported that their doctors encouraged the use, whereas 89 (65.0%) patients claimed their doctors disagreed the use of CAM. Conclusions Prescribers still have doubt in combining chemotherapy with CAM, hence patients use CAM discreetly. Increasing the awareness and understanding of CAM use are mandatory to distinguish its possible synergistic or adverse reactions with cancer patients.

scholarly journals Discovering the Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Oncology Patients: A Systematic Literature Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Fatmah Alsharif
Keyword(s):  
Alternative Medicine ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicine ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Arab Countries ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicines ◽  
Complementary Medicines ◽  
Patients With Cancer ◽  
Alternative Medicines ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

Background. Patients with cancer pursue all possible opportunities of effective remedies. In Saudi Arabia, most patients have tried complementary medicine during their cancer treatment plan; however, some complementary medicines might pose a danger to health. In Arab countries, studies regarding the use of complementary medicines and the intentions behind using complementary medicines among cancer patients are inadequate and all but nonexistent. The aim of this review was to focus on demographic, prevalence, and reasons for complementary and alternative medicine use among patients with cancer. Methods. A rigorous literature search was conducted for articles published in the English language, using the search terms “complementary and alternative medicine,” “oncology,” “malignancy” AND “cancer patients” in five scientific databases, namely, Medical Literature On-Line (MEDLINE), PubMed, Web of Science, Psychology Information (PsycINFO), and Google Scholar, from 2010 to 2020. Results. Of the 13,160 studies returned from the search, only 12 were eligible and included in this review. The combined prevalence for using complementary and alternative medicines across all studies totaled 25%–80% of cancer patients for the treatment of their cancers. Natural products, including vitamins and minerals, herbal products, and relaxation, were the most common type of complementary and alternative medicines used. The reason for using complementary and alternative medicines was reported to be their helpfulness in recovering, healing, and improving health. Most of the studies mentioned that participants obtained their complementary and alternative medicines from multiple sources, including the media, family and friends, and physicians. Conclusion. The use of complementary and alternative medicines in cancer patients can be inferred as an attempt to investigate all possibilities, a manifestation of a coping style, or an illustration of unmet desires in the cancer management continuum. Anyhow, there should be adequate communication between healthcare providers and patients, which is crucial for establishing a trusting healthcare provider-patient relationship. Relevance to clinical practice. It is crucial that healthcare providers explore the use of complementary and alternative medicines with their cancer patients, as well as educating them about the possible usefulness of therapies based on the available evidence.

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