“Health Seeking Behaviour among Hypertensive and Type -2 Diabetic Patient Regarding Alternative Medicine Care Services in Selected Districtâ€

Background: The act of seeking medical attention plays a critical role in determining treatment outcomes. The increasing global burden of non-communicable illnesses has made it more crucial than ever to understand patient preferences. People seek AMC for a variety of reasons such as side effects, dissatisfaction and a desire for more. Patient-centered care is necessary to address the diverse needs and preferences of patients, and effective integration of alternative medicine into conventional healthcare systems. The aim of this study was to explore the health-seeking behavior of hypertensive and type-2 diabetic patients towards alternative medicine care services in selected districts. Methodology: This prospective study was conducted at the Hypertension and Research Centre in Rangpur, Bangladesh. A convenient sampling technique was used to select the participants.1000 patients aged 18 and above who were diagnosed with hypertension and administered antihypertensive medication following an initial evaluation. All hypertension patients who visited the Hypertension and Research Center between March 1st and October 31st, 2023 were included in this study, with a 9-month follow-up period after registration. Results:1000 participants were included and interviewed. Majority (44.8%) belonged to 46-60 years. Here about 51% were female,63.8% lived in rural area, most (27.4%) of them were educated up to secondary level. About 46.1% respondents were housewife followed by 17.7% were service holder. The most common comorbidity reported 17.4% had BEP then IHD (16.7%) and DM (14.6%). Maximum (63.9%) took their drug regularly & 65.7% were come for regular follow-up. About 48.3% respondents do not exercise. Only 36.1% used AMC. We found a higher utilization of homeopathy (47.64%) where 42.39% took AMC regularly & 21.33% use of AMC occasionally. Conclusions: We identified sex, age, and education as predictors of AMC utilization. Periodic surveys are important to monitor population-level AMC use. Use of government-sponsored health surveys may enhance robustness of population-based estimation. It is recommended to plan and implement various Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities in the study area to increase the level awareness to stick with mainstream treatment & reducing AMC seeking behavior.