Search

Abstract Background Despite progress in haemodialysis and conventional medicine approaches, many patients still struggle to maintain an acceptable quality of life and turn to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to address their unmet needs. Objective This study aims to determine the prevalence, types, indications, and factors associated with CAM use by patients on maintenance haemodialysis (MHD) in Cameroon. Materials and methods This was a multicentric cross-sectional study involving MHD patients in Cameroon from February 2019 to May 2019. We included all consenting participants on MHD for at least 3 months and excluded participants with cognitive and behavioral problems. Face-to-face interviews were conducted. Results A total of 224 participants (145 males) with a mean age of 56.5 ± 14.2 years and a median haemodialysis vintage of 34.5 [IQR: 17.3–64.4] months were recruited. In all, 89.7% (n = 201) reported having used CAM before, while 71.6% (n = 144) were still using it. Biologically based therapies were the most popular (94%, n = 189), with herbal medicine (81.5%, n = 154) and Calabar chalk (52.4%, n = 99) being the most common. Physical well-being (57.2%), nausea (52%), and insomnia (42.7%) were the main indications for CAM use. Most respondents did not disclose their CAM use to their physicians (61.2%). Long haemodialysis vintage was associated with CAM use (AOR: 7.9; CI = 2.8–22.3; p