Use of complementary and alternative medicine by cancer patients attending Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital, Kenya

This study aimed to determine the prevalence and patterns of complementary and alternative medicine use among cancer patients at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital's Oncology and Palliative Care Unit. A cross-sectional study was carried out at the hospital. Seventy-one (71) participants were conveniently sampled. They were eligible to participate if they were at least 18 years old, had a cancer diagnosis, and could comprehend the questions. A questionnaire was used to collect data that was then analysed using STATA 13.0 at a 0.05 level of significance. Participants included 25(35.2%) males and 46(64.8%) females were recruited. About 67.6 per cent of the participants used complementary and alternative medicine. Majority used it for Tumour suppression (n = 25, 52.1%), and most sourced from CAM practitioners (n = 23, 47.9%). Overall, 60.4 per cent of complementary and alternative medicine users experienced side effects, with diarrhoea affecting the greatest percentage (62.1%). The highest level of education was found to be positively associated with the use of complementary and alternative medicine (aOR=3.337). In conclusion, complementary and alternative medicine is widely used by cancer patients attending Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital Oncology and Palliative Care Unit. As a result, there is need identify specific herbs taken by cancer patients, evaluate their active constituents, and investigate their potential anticancer mechanisms, as well as assess their knowledge, attitude, and perspective.