Kirasha Allopi
University of Middlesex, UK
Title: A survey to determine the perceptions of nurses in the eThekwini region, SA towards homeopathy
Biography
Biography: Kirasha Allopi
Abstract
A survey method was employed to investigate the perception of nurses in the eThekwini towards homeopathy.
The aim of this study was to answer the following questions: What does the nursing community in eThekwini know of homeopathy? Does homeopathy have a role to play in a hospital setting in South Africa?
The study population was all nurses with 5 years of experience or more working in hospitals in eThekwini region. The sample was drawn from 6 public and 5 private hospitals and included staff and professional nurses.
A total of 330 questionnaires were distributed and a total of 93 nurses (46.5%) responded from the public sector and 107 nurses (53.5%) from the private sector. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, frequency tables and bar charts. The Pearson’s Chi Square Tests was used on selected data. The majority of respondents (70.06%) perceived that homeopathy does have a role to play in a hospital setting. This indicates that many respondents believe that integrated medicine is needed in a hospital setting in SA. The study reveals that the respondents had a positive view of homeopathy in general and were open to learning more about it and to cooperate with homeopaths. The finding that the knowledge of homeopathy is low can be addressed through publicity and education program.