Abstract
Abstract : The awareness and perception of homeopathy amongst health sciences students have never been researched at the University of Johannesburg (UJ). This indicated that there was a great need for this study to be performed. Tertiary students are present and future healthcare consumers and it is important that they are aware of all the healthcare options that are available to them on the market. Only one other study similar to this have been performed previously at the Durban University of Technology (DUT). The aim of this study was to determine the awareness and perceptions of homeopathy amongst health sciences students at the Doornfontein campus, UJ, by means of a questionnaire. This research was a quantitative-descriptive survey design study. A total of 324 questionnaires were distributed amongst all health science students. The responses of the participants showed that there is a general lack of knowledge regarding homeopathy with only 5% of the participants being very familiar of what homeopathy is and how it works. Only 16% of the participants have ever been treated by a homeopath, and 20% of the participants have had family members that consulted with a homeopath. A further 40% of the participants have heard about homeopathy from either their friends or family members, 42% heard about it from a student and the remaining 18% of the participants had heard of it from other sources such as media, pharmacists and internet research. This is a significant statistic as it shows that knowledge about homeopathy is mostly spread via word of mouth. Of those participants who have had a personal experience with homeopathy, 74% were either satisfied or very satisfied with the care they have received from the homeopath. Another positive result show that 68% of the participants would be interested in finding out more about homeopathy. When it came to more specific knowledge regarding homeopathy, the participants showed a poor level of knowledge, as 35% of the participants were unsure if homeopathy has a scientific basis or not. The study also found that 35% of the participants were also unsure if homeopathy is a legitimate form of medicine. 40% of the participants thought that homeopathy is not generally accepted by the public, and the main reasons being that there was a lack of awareness and understanding about how homeopathy works. iv It is important that the Homeopathy Health Centre (HHC) is promoted more effectively, as only 57% of the participants are aware of its existence. Furthermore 84% of the participants had never been to the HHC as patients before, but the general consensus has found that 64% of the participants would consider it now that they are aware of it. As the results of this study showed that there is a low level of knowledge and awareness regarding homeopathy. There is a need to educate health sciences students about the principles and philosophies of homeopathy and what potential health benefits there may be at their disposal. This will allow them to make better informed health decisions.
M.Tech. (Homoeopathy)