Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Bee Venom Acupuncture Therapy on Rheumatoid Arthritis Among Patients in Saudi Arabia

Shahd E Sharaf; Safaa Alsanosi; Abdullah R Alzahrani; Saeed S Al-Ghamdi; Sharaf E Sharaf; Nahla Ayoub

doi:10.2147/IJGM.S351315

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Bee Venom Acupuncture Therapy on Rheumatoid Arthritis Among Patients in Saudi Arabia

Int J Gen Med. 2022 Feb 5:15:1171-1183. doi: 10.2147/IJGM.S351315. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Shahd E Sharaf^{1

2}, Safaa Alsanosi¹, Abdullah R Alzahrani^{1

2}, Saeed S Al-Ghamdi^{1

2}, Sharaf E Sharaf^{2

3

4}, Nahla Ayoub^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
² Saudi Toxicology Society, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
³ Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department, College of Pharmacy, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Clinical Research Administration, Executive Administration of Research and Innovation, King Abdullah Medical City in the Holy Capital, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Introduction: Bee venom acupuncture therapy (BVT) is an alternative therapy used worldwide by patients with different chronic diseases due to its therapeutic effects on conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Previous studies have illustrated the clinical effects of BVT on RA, but such a study has yet to be performed in Saudi Arabia (SA). It is important to evaluate BVT awareness among citizens of SA to measure the feasibility of conducting clinical trials of BVT in patients with RA in SA. This study aims to measure the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of BVT on RA and other chronic diseases in SA. This will help determine whether patients with RA have sufficient knowledge to be enrolled in clinical trials.

Patients and methods: A cross-sectional study of 180 patients with RA in SA was conducted using a KAP questionnaire on BVT. Individuals completed an online questionnaire using the Survey Monkey website. Data were obtained by self-completion of the online KAP questionnaire regarding BVT.

Results: A total of 180 patients with RA and other chronic diseases, with a mean age of 45 years (18-70 years), participated in the study. The results of the questionnaire showed that 55% of the participants demonstrated a good knowledge of BVT treatment; however, they also reported a poor attitude (55%) and practice (55%). Participants with RA demonstrated higher severity of disease (80%) than those with other chronic diseases. Participants with RA showed better KAP responses towards BVT than those with other chronic diseases. Participants with school education only and those who were beekeepers demonstrated significantly better KAP responses (P < 0.05) compared to participants who had received university education and those who were not beekeepers, respectively.

Conclusion: Participants with strong RA knowledge may prove that patients from SA can be enrolled in BVT clinical trials. The participants' poor attitudes and practices may be due to BVT being expensive and unavailable in many cities in SA.

Keywords: Saudi Arabia; attitude; bee venom acupuncture therapy; knowledge; practice; rheumatoid arthritis.