Psychometric Evaluation of Traditional, Complementary, Integrative Medicine (TCIM) Attitudes Scale

Abstract

The use of traditional, complementary, integrative medicine (TCIM) has grown rapidly worldwide. In a direct response, the World Health Organization has called for promotion of safe and effective use of these treatment approaches through research, regulation, and integration into mainstream healthcare systems. Assessing attitudes toward TCIM enables healthcare providers and researchers to examine TCIM approaches that are prioritized by the local population. This helps to inform and initiate more targeted policies and services so that a culturally sensitive healthcare system can be established. However, no standardized instrument is currently available for measuring individuals’ attitudes toward TCIM. This dissertation research addressed this gap in the measurement field.

The first manuscript aimed to identify the most influential factor driving TCIM use. An umbrella review was conducted to provide a comprehensive synthesize of the available evidence on the topic. Five factors were identified and critically analyzed. Findings of this review was the cornerstone for the development of the TCIM Attitudes Scale. The TCIM Attitudes Scale was thus grounded on the most influential factor driving TCIM use, which is treatment usefulness. Treatment usefulness denotes individuals’ perception of a treatment as useful in fulfilling their health needs. The perceived usefulness of a TCIM treatment may be based on scientific evidence or could be driven by a strong belief or even a hope in its benefits. The second manuscript aimed to describe the development of the TCIM Attitudes Scale and assess its psychometric properties. The scale consists of 10 items and is designed to gauge the degree to which an individual is convinced about the usefulness of a specific TCIM approach for a specific health condition. A cross-sectional survey study was conducted to assess the scales’ psychometric properties among women with infertility in Saudi Arabia. This empirical study provided preliminary evidence of the scale’s reliability and validity. The newly developed scale is expected to be useful in understanding populations’ health-seeking behaviors and health service demands regarding TCIM. It also offers a standardized measure allowing consistent collection and meaningful comparison of data.