RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of a selected population of patients on herbal dietary supplements (HDS).METHOD: Methodological triangulation was used to generate a conceptual framework on HDS KAP. A survey of 175 patients was performed to measure knowledge and attitudes regarding HDS and SPSS was used for data analysis. Inverviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted to further explore the attitudes and practices, and constant comparison method was used for analysis of responses.RESULTS: Respondents were generally aware of HDS. Majority of survey respondents believed that HDS are different from conventional drugs (52.0%, pThe attitude toward HDS was generally positive. Majority (64.0%, pAmong the survey respondents, only 22% were HDS users. Family was shown to promote use while cost deterred their use.CONCLUSION: Individual knowledge and attitudes on HDS exert significant influence toward HDS practices. Factors that promote use are poor knowledge and positive attitudes toward HDS. Good knowledge seems to lead to judicious use or non-use.
