The knowledge and attitudes of health professionals working in mother-friendly hospitals about complementary therapy and supportive care methods

INTRODUCTION: It is important that the healthcare professionals who are with the mother at the moment of birth and afterwards, know and apply effective complementary treatment and supportive care methods, and also know their effects and limitations. The aim of this study is to determine the knowledge levels and attitudes of health personnel about complementary therapy and supportive care methods to be used in the management of labor pain and postpartum period. METHODS: A cross-sectional study included 142 midwives/nurses and physicians working in the delivery room and maternity services of mother-friendly hospitals in Manisa, Turkey, between August 2018 and April 2019. The questionnaire consisting of 25 questions evaluated the knowledge and attitudes of the participants about complementary therapy and supportive care methods. RESULTS: It was found that 30.6% of the healthcare professionals participating in the study used complementary treatment and supportive care methods in their patients. The least heard method was chiropractic (6.6%), the best-known method was hydrotherapy (water birth) (5.8%) and the most used method was massage (14.0%). It was determined that the mean total attitude score of the healthcare workers on complementary treatment and supportive care methods was 18.57 ± 5.12 (range: 8–40). It was found that the education levels of healthcare professionals (z= -2.144, p<0.05) and the institutions affect (χ(2)=23.417; p<0.05) the attitude scores. CONCLUSIONS: One out of every two healthcare professionals did not have information about complementary treatment and supportive care methods. Healthcare professionals mostly have positive opinions about these methods.