Relationship between beliefs in pain and attitude towards traditional and complementary medicine of patients who consult to university hospital romatology polyclinic

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of the level of pain beliefs on the use of traditional and complementary medicine methods, taking into account the sociodemographic characteristics of patients admitted to the rheumatology outpatient clinic. Materials and Methods: Our study was conducted with 122 participants in Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University Training and Research Hospital Rheumatology Outpatient Clinic. A descriptive sociodemographic form prepared by the researchers, a questionnaire on knowledge of traditional and complementary medicine, the Attitudes Toward Complementary and Alternative Medicine Scale (ACATS), and the Pain Beliefs Scale (PBS) were administered to the participants face-to-face. Results: In our study, it was observed that 90.2% of our participants had heard of Traditional and Complementary Medicine (GETAT) before and 27.3% had used GETAT method before. It was determined that 90% of those who used GETAT method benefited from the method they used. 66.7% of our participants have not consulted with any physician about the GETAT methods they have used. The mean score of the Attitude Toward Holistic Complementary and Alternative Medicine Scale was found to be 50.61±5.40. The Organic Beliefs subscale score was 4.31±0.66 and the Psychological Beliefs subscale score was 5.13±0.76. In our study, individuals with secondary education and below thought that pain was mostly caused by organic causes (p: 0,003). It was observed that the holistic health scores of individuals between the ages of 18-30 were higher than other age groups (p: 0,018). It is seen that the organic belief scores of individuals in the same age range are lower than other age groups. (p: 0,045). It was found that the psychological belief scores of working individuals were higher than those of non-working or retired individuals (p: 0,045). It was determined that 43.8% of our participants who preferred GETAT method were college/university graduates. In our study, it was determined that there was a weak positive correlation between the Organic Beliefs subscale and the Psychological Beliefs subscale of the BTATÖ (p<0.05). It was observed that those who gave importance to the psychological aspect of pain among our participants had a more positive view of complementary and alternative medicine. Conclusion: In our study, it was concluded that the tendency towards Traditional and Complementary Medicine is affected by factors such as age, educational status, working life and pain beliefs. The positive effect of the psychological aspect of pain on the use of GETAT methods is explained by the fact that these methods are performed not only in the case of a disease but also to feel good in general. In order to provide accurate and reliable information to patients about GETAT, it is especially important that physicians have sufficient knowledge. Performing the appropriate method for patients by a healthcare professional and in a healthcare institution will protect physicians and patients from unwanted side effects. In order for patients to benefit from these methods reliably, opening more centers and increasing the number of physicians practicing GETAT will enable patients to access these methods more easily.