Introduction

Epidemiological data show that patients’ interest in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies is steadily increasing. Patients can use CAM methods either as an alternative, i.e. in place of conventional therapy, or in addition to it, which is frequently the case for those being treated for cancer. The aim of this study was evaluation of the prevalence of using CAM among patients being treated for haematological diseases.

Material and methods

The cross-sectional observational study was carried out in the period between January and March 2023 among patients treated for haematological diseases in the Department of Haematology and the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit of the Saint Jan of Dukla Oncology Centre of the Lublin Region. The study group consisted of 105 patients. The International Questionnaire to Measure the Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine was the standardised tool used in the study questionnaire. The questionnaire is divided into 4 parts.

Results

The mean age of the respondents was 49.54 ±15.68 years. The percentage of patients who used CAM practitioners’ advice in the last year was 48.6% (n = 51). The most common reason for visiting the CAM specialist was to treat a chronic disease or its symptoms. Most respondents (56.9%, n = 29) indicated that the CAM practitioner’s therapy was highly beneficial.

Conclusions

Most patients treated for haematological diseases had received advice and treatments from a CAM practitioner during the preceding year. It is of key importance to conduct a Polish nationwide study to evaluate the use of CAM methods by oncology patients and to identify potential interactions with drugs used in conventional medicine.