A Knowledge-, Attitude-, and Practice-based Survey Study on the Concept of Samhanana (Compactness) among Ayurveda Professionals

Export Introduction: Samhanana (compactness) is one of the diagnostic and assessment techniques for monitoring the Bala (strength) of the individual as per Ayurveda. It is rightfully mentioned among the Dashvidha Atura Pariksha (tenfold examination of the patient). The data pertaining to the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) regarding the concept of Samhanana among the Ayurveda professionals are lacking to date. This survey is designed to understand the KAP about Samhanana among Ayurveda professionals in the present context. Methods: This was a cross sectional online questionnaire based study including 125 Ayurveda professionals across the country. The first part of the questionnaire focused on the demographic and contact details of the respondents. The second part focused on the 20 questions assessing the knowledge (8 questions), attitude (3 questions), and practice (9 questions) of Ayurveda professionals regarding Samhanana. Results: Most participants were not aware of the basic concepts revolving around Samhanana. Only 15.2% of respondents made use of any tools or scales for the assessment of Samhanana. As per 96% of respondents, there was a need for more research in this area. 86.4% of respondents stated that they were interested in receiving more training on the assessment of Samhanana. Conclusion: Samhanana is an important part of the overall physiological analysis of any individual. It can be implemented as an efficient method of assessment of built and strength of any individual. Use of Samhanana as a part of the daily assessment in clinical and academic practice is restricted and more research and training is warranted to develop the standardized scales or tools for the assessment of Samhanana.