Evaluation of quality of life and patient satisfaction in patients requesting traditional and complementary medicine

Introduction and Purpose: Traditional and complementary medicine (TCM) practices are known as practices that have a very long historical history. These applications attract great attention both in the world and in our country and are becoming more preferred every day. Our study aimed to evaluate the quality of life and patient satisfaction in patients receiving TCM. Materials and Methods: The study was planned in a descriptive cross-sectional style and ethics committee approval was obtained. 211 people who applied to Dicle University TCM Polyclinic participated in the study. Sociodemographic data form survey, SF-12 Quality of Life Scale and Outpatient Satisfaction Scale (OSS) were applied to the participants. Statistical analysis of the data was done in SPSS 24.0. Results: The average age of the participants in our study was 36,27. 56.9% of the participants were women, 55.9% were civil servants, 44.5% were university graduates, and 54.5% were of medium economic level. 67.8% of the participants did not have a known chronic disease, 80.6% of the participants recommended TCM practices and 66.8% of the participants recommended our hospital to others. 38.9% of the participants had received cupping therapy and 49.8% of the patients had used TCM practices to improve their health and ensure general well-being. The mean score of the physical component sub-dimension of the SF-12 Quality of Life Scale was found to be 45.78±0.58, and the mean score of the mental component sub-dimension was 41.61±0.58. The overall average score of OSS was calculated as 3.37±0.05. A statistically significant difference was found between the participants educational status, profession, number of chronic diseases, the TCM methods they received, their recommendation of the hospital to others, and their satisfaction levels (p<0,05). A statistically significant difference was found between their quality of life levels and the TCM methods and the number of sessions the participants received (p<0.05). Conclusion and Recommendations: Satisfaction level was found to be high among those with high school education or lower, retirees, ozone users, and those who recommended our hospital. The centers where TCM applications are performed, which the participants are generally satisfied with and recommend, should be increased and more patients should be reached. Keywords: Traditional medicine, complementary medicine, quality of life, patient satisfaction, TCM.