Surgical Patients' Knowledge and Practices Regarding Non-Pharmacological Methods Used in Symptom Management

Objective: This study aimed to determine the knowledge and practices of surgical patients regarding non-pharmacological methods used in symptom management. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted with 172 patients hospitalised in the surgical clinics of a hospital in Mardin province of Türkiye. Data were collected face-to-face between the dates November 2022 and February 2023 with a patient characteristics form and questions about complementary and alternative therapies. Results: It was determined that 64% of the patients were aware of spiritual therapy practices, and 45.3% of them always used these practices. Massage (54.1%), hot application (50.1%), and spiritual therapy (52.3%) were used to reduce pain; spiritual therapy (44.8%) was used to relieve fatigue and weakness; herbal treatment (16.3%) and spiritual therapy (20.3%) were used to relieve nausea and vomiting; spiritual therapy (57.0%) was used to reduce anxiety, fear, and stress; and spiritual therapy (30.9%) was used to relieve depressive mood. Conclusion: It was found that the majority of the patients participating in the study knew non-pharmacological methods such as massage, hot-cold application and spiritual therapy, and nearly half of them believed in the effectiveness of these methods and preferred spiritual methods most frequently.