Abstract:

Aim: Complementary medicine has been used with increasing frequency worldwide recently. In our country, phytotherapy, one of the complementary medicine practices among children, is increasing daily among patients and physicians. The study determined the frequency of phytotherapy application by physicians seeing pediatric patients. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted via an online survey. The study was carried out between June 2021 and August 24, 2021. The pediatricians, family physicians, general practitioners, and other specialists who treat children were included in the study. The survey questions were distributed to all of the pediatricians registered on a platform with over 2,000 members. Results: A total of 547 physicians participated in the study. The participants were divided into three groups, including pediatricians, family physicians, and general practitioners (28%, 33.6%, and 38.2%, respectively). The most common group of physicians practicing phytotherapy was family physicians. The proportion of physicians who applied phytotherapy to their patients was 65.3%. A total of 75.3% of physicians believe that phytotherapy is effective, and 76.1% of participants want to learn more about it. A total of 70.7% of physicians stated that patients requested phytotherapy treatment from them. Phytotherapy is mostly applied to respiratory diseases. Aromatherapy is practiced by 43.3% of physicians and is mainly used for respiratory diseases and inhalation. Conclusion: More than half of the physicians practiced phytotherapy with pediatric patients. Physicians reported that there is a demand from patients and that they want to receive training in this area. Phytotherapy training should be organized for physicians.

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