Knowledge and practices of Unani & Ayurvedic medicine among the rural medical practitioner of Nilphamari district, Bangladesh

Abstract

Traditional and complementary medicine is an important and often underestimated issue of healthcare. The objective of the study was to find out the knowledge and practices of Unani & Ayurvedic medicine among the rural medical practitioner of Nilphamari district, Bangladesh. A descriptive cross sectional study design was adopted to conduct the study. Random sampling technique and structured questionnaires with face to face interview done to gather data from the rural medical practitioners. The study showed that more than half (60.39%) of respondents knowledge was gained by literature and necessary books. Among 101 respondents, 99% reported they self practiced Unani and Ayurvedic medicine, 42.57% reported they practicing from 11-20 years and 80.1% of the respondents reported they sale Unani and Ayurvedic medicine by self prescription. The study briefly explored Unani and Ayurvedic medicine knowledge and practices. As seen, many are trained by recognized institutions, but few are not. Need ongoing Unani/Ayurvedic medicine training.