Attitudes and practices of healthcare professionals in a comprehensive tertiary hospital regarding traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of influenza.

Publisher: Nature Publishing Group Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101563288 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2045-2322 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 20452322 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Sci Rep Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: London : Nature Publishing Group, copyright 2011-

Influenza, Human*/therapy ; Influenza, Human*/drug therapy ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional*/methods ; Attitude of Health Personnel* ; Health Personnel*/psychology ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*; Humans ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Female ; Male ; Adult ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Middle Aged ; China

Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics approval statement and Patient consent statement: All procedures were conducted in accordance with the ethical standards outlined in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments. Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee of Quzhou Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University (2024-066), and written informed consent was obtained from all participants. The study adhered to all applicable guidelines and regulations.
This study aimed to evaluate the attitudes and practices of healthcare professionals at a comprehensive tertiary hospital regarding the use of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in influenza treatment. A cross-sectional survey was conducted at Quzhou Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University between June 5 and July 14, 2024. Data were collected using a validated self-designed questionnaire assessing healthcare professionals' attitudes and practices. Analysis of 606 questionnaires (95.43% response rate) revealed 70.79% doctors (59.08% female); 79.21% had TCM influenza experience. Mean attitude score (50.69 ± 6.73) indicated favorable TCM perceptions, but practice scores (28.47 ± 5.43) showed moderate engagement. Attitude and practice scores correlated significantly (*r* = 0.5252, P < 0.001). Educational events (P < 0.01), family TCM use (P < 0.001), and TCM-employed relatives (P < 0.05) mediated attitudes and practices. Although healthcare professionals demonstrated generally positive attitudes towards TCM, their actual clinical practice remained limited. To promote the integration of TCM into influenza care, targeted training and educational programs are recommended.
(© 2025. The Author(s).)

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2024KY1767 Zhejiang Provincial Medical and Health Science and Technology Program

Keywords: Attitudes; Cross-sectional survey; Healthcare professionals; Influenza treatment; Mediation analysis; Practices; Traditional chinese medicine

Date Created: 20251023 Date Completed: 20251023 Latest Revision: 20251026

20251026

PMC12549821

10.1038/s41598-025-21006-5

41131176