In this study, two themes were extracted outcomes of medical students’ participation in the traditional Persian medicine course and influencing and hindering factors the conduct of the Persian medicine course.
In theme of outcomes of medical students’ participation in the traditional Persian medicine course, category of understanding the nature of traditional medicine with two subcategories of clarifying common beliefs about traditional medicine and replacing the true nature of traditional medicine with the common beliefs of society about the field, category of familiarity with the factors influencing the position of the field with three subcategories of exploitation of traditional medicine by non-professionals, introducing it as an evidence-based scientific field that can be integrated into the domains of medical sciences worldwide and misunderstandings of society regarding traditional medicine and category of creating a positive perspective towards the field of traditional medicine with three subcategories changing attitudes towards traditional medicine, creating interest in the topic of traditional medicine in medicine and the necessity of holding courses in a continuous manner were obtained.
Abdulahi et al., have reported that some popular thoughts and ideas consider medicinal plants harmless because they are natural, and experiences has shown that if medicinal plants are consumed without scientific approval, they may have side effects also, some manufacturers combine herbal products that are not used in category of scientific plants in treatment with the aim of increasing medicinal properties with active industrial drugs so that the patient believes the effectiveness of that herbal medicine [24].
This report is aligned with the results of our study as it indicates a self-interested fraud that appears to prefers income to treat. On the other hand, due to the fact that these products are fake, after the passage of time, patients who do not receive a specific therapeutic response cause skepticism towards TM. Eduardo et al. reported that most members at the Brasilia Health University in Brazil medicinal plants use arbitrarily, often prescribed on the advice of family members whose knowledge of medicinal plants is not evidence-based [25]. These results are matched with primary codes of sub-code of recognition of non-academic PM factors in our study.
Moreira et al. reported that the European Union and the National Health Surveillance Organization of Brazil seem not to be strict about proving the effectiveness of herbal medicines, and they consider the long-term use of herbal medicines by people to be evidence of their safety. They forgo full toxicological evaluation, while toxicological tests are necessary to determine the safety of herbal medicines [26]. In the results of our study, the primary code of attention to drug interactions and patient safety can be considered as an emphasis on ensuring patient safety by paying attention to the safety of herbal medicines.
Rivera et al., have stated that with the development of the Internet and the emphasis on the global economy, consumers have access to herbal medicines from anywhere in the world, but concern that there is currently no system to confirm the legitimacy of the sites [27]. This result can be explained by the primary codes of attention to drug interactions and patient safety and potential to provide PM treatments to other countries in our study. Internet is a way to present and introduce medicines and therapeutic methods of PM to other parts of the world, and on the other hand, paying attention to the credibility of the sites will help consumers to buy safe and reliable TM products.
Rouhani et al. showed that TM helps to improve people’s lifestyles, and the health of individual and society [28]. In the study, Yuan et al., types of TM, including traditional Chinese, Greek, Korean, Indian (Ayurveda) and Japanese (Kampo) are mentioned [29]. The locally TM in the mentioned countries, shows that TM can be a part of the background of the national identity of the countries. Personalized medicine believes that people have different characteristics to each other in physiological, molecular, placement in the environment, as well as behavior, which makes them unique, and it is probably necessary to have therapeutic interventions, appropriate to individual characteristic [30]. Due to the nature of TM that prescribes a drug based on temperament, it can be considered as personalized medicine. Conat Typhoon has proven in practice that TM is useful in promoting modern medicine and their combination creates the best synergy [31]. Previously, the 62nd World Health Assembly in 2009 acknowledged that TM is part of primary health care and TM specialists can integrate their knowledge and experience with modern medical practices in order to obtain more effective results in the treatment of patients [31]. The teaching of TM universities and faculties of medical sciences in Iran and other countries shows TM is growing and developing in parallel modern medicine [20, 32,33,34]. These results are consistent with primary codes of PM potential to help promote modern medicine and being dynamic, efficient and forward of PM in our study.
The theme of effective and inhibiting factors on holding traditional Persian medicine courses has two categories include effective factors on the effectiveness of Persian medicine courses with two subcategories, experienced teachers with moral virtues and scientific and purposeful content design and weak educational design of the course with three subcategories, inappropriate educational strategy, presence of boring content in educational materials and lack of attention to effective factors in educational areas (Table 2).
Abbaszadeh surveyed dental students of Birjand University of Medical Sciences regarding the two-unit course of TM that they had completed in two semesters. The students were satisfied with the teachers’ mastery of the class content and the final exam, but they did not want this lesson to be presented again, also the students were dissatisfied from the inappropriate time of the classes, the high amount of content, the irrelevance of topics and their lack of connection to the field of dentistry. And in general, they had a negative opinion about the course method was held and recommended that the course be held as a workshop [35]. The non-applicability of the subjects in the above study is similar to the non-applicability of the philosophical content in our study, but it is different in the evaluation and continuation of the course. In Abbaszadeh’s study, the negative opinion of the students to repeat the course can be due to the length of the course, while in our study, short and the applicability of the course can be considered as one of the reasons for satisfaction of students [35].
Hoshangi et al. according to the results of their study, consider TM courses to be essential for medical students [36]. Nasiri et al. have also recommended the course unit introduction with complementary medicine (CM) methods in the curriculum of medical fields [37]. Parveenruo et al. also considered it necessary to include the TM course in the curriculum of other medical sciences. They investigated the attitude and knowledge of pharmacy students of Gilan University of Medical Sciences and reported that the knowledge score of students who completed the TM unit was significantly higher than other students [38]. This result is similar to the primary code of the suitability of the content of the classes in solving the mental unknowns of the students in the sub-code of positive characteristics of classroom content from the main code of educational characteristics of classes in our study.
In the study of the experiences of PM students of IUMS regarding clinical training, the results have shown that clinical training requires the development of an educational program, including introducing more patients to students in the presence of professors, increasing the variety of patients, and optimizing the environment and space of the clinic [39]. This is consistent with the primary code of inadequacy of the capacity of the clinic with the number of students and short duration of practical classes in our study.
Al-Zahrani et al. reported that although medical students consider CM treatments useful with an emphasis on being based on evidence, but they still do not want to have TM specialists in their treatment departments [40]. In another study in Ethiopia, the attitude of physicians towards the integration of modern medicine and TM was investigated, and the results showed the most physicians prefer modern medicine alone, and some support it, but they believe scientific research is essential on TM and its teaching [41]. These are matches with the primary codes of respecting the choice of CM by patients, student bias towards modern medicine and the unacceptability of bloodletting and cupping TM treatments for students, in our study.
Mwaka et al. reported Makerere university students agree with integrating TCM into medical school curricula in Uganda [32]. This result is consistent with the main code of reasons for the necessity of continuing holding the classes in our study.
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