Özet:

Nurses should know the effects of complementary and alternative treatment methods used in children with upper respiratory tract infections, and should inform parents and society. Objectives: This study aims to examine the complementary and alternative medicine used in children with acute upper respiratory infection. Methods: The descriptive study was conducted between May and December 2017 in a family health center in Istanbul. The sample of the study was the parent of 236 children who were diagnosed with upper respiratory tract infection in this Family Health Center. The data were collected by a researcher's questionnaire. Results: In this study 95.8% of parents were mothers and the average age was 33.38 ± 6.56. When the child had upper respiratory tract infection, it was determined that 86% of the parents applied complementary and alternative treatment. 92.1% of the parents use complementary and alternative treatment methods before drug treatment. 95.1% of parents using complementary and alternative treatment methods. 68.6% of parents use complementary and alternative treatment methods to reduce fever. It was observed that parents frequently gave herbal teas for cough (66.9%) and sore throat (41.1%). As the mother’s education increased, the rate of complementary and alternative treatment decreased (β = .32). Conclusion: it was determined that the majority of parents had complementary and alternative treatments when the child had upper respiratory tract infections. The majority of parents use complementary and alternative treatment methods prior to drug treatment. As parents’ education increases, the use of complementary and alternative treatment decreases.

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