Prevalance, Knowledge and Attitudes of Primary Care Physicians on Use of Herbal Preparations in Pregnancy

Abstract

Aim: The use of herbal preparations (HPs) without considering teratogenicity potential can lead to significant health problems in pregnant women. Knowledge and attitudes of primary care physicians where pregnant women frequently consult are of great importance for patient safety. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of primary care physicians toward HPs used during pregnancy. Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted with 107 physicians working in family health centers in Istanbul. A self-administered questionnaire was used after getting ethics committee approval. Results: The most of physicians emphasized that the pregnant women rarely asked them for consultation of HPs use (68,2%). 29,9 % of the physicians stated that they do not inquire HPs use in pregnant patients before prescribing. Only 6,5% of the physicians prefered to recommend HPs. 21% of the physicians believe that the pregnant women should never use any HPs. Most of the pysicians (76,6%) stated that they have insufficient knowledege for advicing or prescribing any of HPs. 40,2% of the physicians think that HPs are benefit and 69,2% that the patients prefer these products because they find them harmless. Only one of the participants think there are appropriate conditions for the safe supply of herbal products Discussion: Our results showed that primary care physicians do not find themselves qualified enough to give consultancy services about the herbal remedies and they are uncertain about the content of herbal praparations.