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Research Publications (Health Sciences)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://ir-dev.dut.ac.za/handle/10321/216

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Qualitative study

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    Allopathic medicine practitioners' perspectives on facilitating disclosure of traditional medicine use in Gauteng, South Africa : a qualitative study
    (Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2023-12-12) Gumede, Lindiwe; Nkosi, Pauline B.; Sibiya, Maureen N.
    Traditional medicine (TM) plays a key role in maintaining health in many societies. Given the requirement for TM disclosure, Allopathic Medicine Practitioners (AMPs) must encourage open communication with patients to persuade those who use TM to disclose. Addressing patient non-disclosure of TM requires this dialogue to be facilitated. We sought to understand and describe how South African AMPs facilitate disclosure of TM use during a consultation with patients who use both TM and allopathic medicine (AM) and how it influences the patients' willingness to disclose TM use.

    Methods

    This qualitative exploratory descriptive study on AMPs at Gauteng district public hospitals in South Africa was conducted between 2021 and 2022. Non-probability purposive sampling was employed to select a sample of 14 AMPs. Individual participants were encouraged to share their unique experiences and interpretations of the phenomenon concerning TM use disclosure. The raw transcribed textual data were processed using ATLAS.ti, and inductive content analysis was undertaken following the coding of the content to identify categories.

    Results

    The data revealed four major categories: 'providing a suitable atmosphere for disclosure,' 'encouraging patients to disclose TM usage to AMPs,' 'patient autonomy,' and 'AMP training'. During a consultation with patients who use both TM and AM, participants expressed their experiences and perceptions of TM nondisclosure. They also discussed several methods for encouraging patients to disclose their TM usage, particularly when TM is used concurrently with AM.

    Conclusion

    This study expands on previously reported findings by describing how South African AMPs facilitate the disclosure of TM use during consultation. Many AMPs struggle to initiate TM conversations with their patients which results in non-disclosure. This study revealed that integrating TM into AM training programmes, promoting cross-practice, and creating a safe environment is necessary for the development and application of the most appropriate approaches that would assist in facilitating disclosure.
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    Exploring the nature of partnership between African traditional and conventional health care in eThekwini district of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
    (AJPHERD-SD, 2014-06) Ndzimande, Busisiwe Edith; Sibiya, Maureen Nokuthula; Gqaleni, Nceba
    The current alarming growth of diseases and complications, especially in Africa, makes the integration of traditional and conventional health practices a priority in medical training, research and planning, and the funding of health services. In KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), a few clinics have initiated the process of partnership with the traditional health practitioners (THPs). However, the nature of this partnership is not clearly defined, hence the need for this study. According to the World Health Organisation, approximately 80% of the population of African Member States use traditional medicine to meet their health care needs. Therefore it is a high priority that Traditional Health Care Practitioners (THPs) be integrated into conventional medicine, and considered the entry point to primary health care (PHC). This study aims to outline the potential consensus on how traditional and western health practitioners could work together to achieve a common goal without undermining each other. The objective of the study was to determine the possible relationship between western and traditional medicine. In order to understand the complexities of an intact culture of the entire group, a qualitative, multiple case study design was employed in this study as the researchers sought to explore a programme, an activity, a process, one or more individuals, groups, institutions and other social units. Results from the study indicate that partnership is far from being implemented by both parties. THPs should form part of health policy making, conventional medicine training and the District Health Information System.