Analysing the attitudes of faculty members towards the use of unconventional treatment methods

Introduction: Unconventional treatment methods, as defined by law, include acupressure, acupunc­ture, iris and pulse diagnostics, diet, non-traditional physical methods of mechanical, thermal or magnetic treatment. These methods can be practiced by both medical and non-medical profession­als under special conditions. Their development and impact on public health depend on users` atti­tudes and providers` professionalism. However, most of the unconventional methods are not studied at the medical universities in Bulgaria. Therefore, the aim of the study is to research attitudes of fac­ulty members towards the use and development of unconventional healing methods.Materials and methods: A sociological survey was performed using a semi-structured questionnaire with 31 questions. Seventy-seven faculty members from 4 universities in Bulgaria took a part in the survey.Results: Nearly half of the respondents (46.1%) have used unconventional treatment services. Almost all of those who used such services were satisfied in general with the treatment they received. Major­ity of them (55.9%) experienced an improvement. The respondents declare that the hygiene and pro­fessionals` qualification of unconventional services providers could be improved. Fifty-four percent of the respondents acknowledge and accept the relevance of unconventional treatment methods. At the same time, the respondents declare that the unconventional methods should be applied by profes­sionals.Conclusion: Faculty members have a positive attitude towards the unconventional treatment meth­ods, applied by professionals. This may serve as a prerequisite for the introduction and development of academic courses as a step to the better control and quality of the unconventional treatment servic­es, provided to the public