Traditional Medicine and Pregnancy Management: Perceptions of Traditional Health Practitioners in Capricorn District, Limpopo Province

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonto M. Maputle ◽  
Tebogo M. Mothiba ◽  
Lucy Maliwichi
Keyword(s):  
Traditional Medicine ◽  
Limpopo Province ◽  
Traditional Health ◽  
Traditional Health Practitioners ◽  
Health Practitioners

Traditional Health Practitioners' and Other Community Members' Perceptions of Vultures in the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Region, South Africa

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Mbali Mashele ◽  
Lindy J. Thompson ◽  
Colleen T. Downs
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Traditional Medicine ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Conservation Education ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Traditional Health ◽  
Traditional Health Practitioners ◽  
Health Practitioners

ABSTRACT African vulture populations are currently in rapid decline, due to a range of anthropogenic factors. These include intentional and unintentional poisoning; degradation, fragmentation, and loss of habitat; and the killing of vultures to obtain body parts for use in traditional medicine. Consequently, people living in rural communities adjacent to protected areas may have a negative or positive impact on their local vulture populations, and so understanding their attitudes towards vultures is imperative. We surveyed Traditional Health Practitioners (those who may [unlawfully] acquire vulture parts for use in traditional medicine) and other community members (those who are not Traditional Health Practitioners but who might use traditional medicine containing vulture body parts) to understand how they perceive vultures and the cultural beliefs associated with vultures in the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Region, South Africa. We conducted 248 structured interviews with 197 community members and 51 Traditional Health Practitioners in nine villages in the Bushbuckridge Local Municipality, Mpumalanga Province, adjacent to protected areas. Our results showed that community members and Traditional Health Practitioners regarded vultures as beneficial to them for ecosystem services, as a cultural resource, and as a means of generating income. Community members and Traditional Health Practitioners generally had positive attitudes toward vultures, and community members were more inclined than Traditional Health Practitioners to like vultures. Both groups of respondents expressed a fear of vultures because of their aggressive feeding behavior and their physical appearance. Our results highlighted that vultures in our study area are traded and used in traditional medicines for various purposes. Contrary to what was previously thought, vultures are indeed used in traditional medicine close to the Kruger National Park. Our interviewees expressed a desire to learn more about vultures, and this could be a starting point to increase conservation education for these species. There is a need to raise awareness of vulture population declines among all community members in Bushbuckridge and to highlight the human health risks of using poison for pest control.

Knowledge and documentation of patient health information among traditional health practitioners in urban and peri-urban areas of eThekwini Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa

2019 ◽  
pp. 183335831989047
Author(s):  
Tracy Zhandire ◽  
Nceba Gqaleni ◽  
Mlungisi Ngcobo ◽  
Exnevia Gomo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Traditional Medicine ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Traditional Health ◽  
Traditional Health Practitioners ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Health Practitioners ◽  
Patient Health

Background: Documentation of patient health information (PHI) is a regulatory requirement and hence a standard procedure in allopathic healthcare practice. The opposite is true for African traditional medicine (ATM) in most African countries, including South Africa, despite legal and policy frameworks that recognise and mandate the institutionalisation of ATM. Developing good practice standards for PHI documentation is an essential step in the institutionalisation of ATM. Objective: This study examined the knowledge and practices of documentation of PHI by traditional health practitioners (THPs) in Durban, eThekwini Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Methods: In this quantitative cross-sectional study, snowball sampling was used to identify and recruit THPs. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to gather data. Chi-square tests and logistic regression were used to assess associations of knowledge and practice of documentation of PHI with potential predictors; age, gender, education, type of practitioner, experience, number of patients seen per day and location of the practice. Results: Of the 248 THPs who participated, 71.8% were female. Mean (SD) age was 47.4 (14.2), ranging 18–81 years. The majority (65.7%) were Izangoma (diviners). Overall, 42.9% of the THPs reported knowledge of patient medical records (PMRs). In logistic regression, only number of patients seen per day remained a significant predictor of knowledge about PMR. THPs who reported seeing 6–10 patients were five times more likely (Odds Ratio (OR): 5.164, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.270–20.996; p = 0.022) to report knowledge of PMR than those seeing <6 patients per day. Overall, 25.0% of THPs reported that they were documenting some PHI. Documentation was associated with having knowledge of PMR (OR: 29.323, 95% CI: 10.455–82.241; p < 0.0001) and being an Isangoma (OR: 3.251, 95% CI: 1.092–9.679; p = 0.02). Not knowing what (56.5%) and how (50.5%) to record were the most commonly cited reasons for not documenting. Conclusion: Knowledge of PMR is low, and the practice of documenting PHI is even lower among THPs in eThekwini. That knowledge of PMR was a strong predictor of documentation practice, and the most common reason for not documenting was lack of knowledge about what and how to document suggests that training could improve PHI documentation in traditional medicine practice.

scholarly journals The indigenous meaning of dysmenorrhea: using modified photovoice to document perspectives of traditional health practitioners (THPs) and indigenous knowledge holders (IKHs)

F1000Research ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 672
Author(s):  
Melitah Molatelo Rasweswe ◽  
Mmapheko Doriccah Peu ◽  
Fhumulani Mavis Mulaudzi
Keyword(s):  
Indigenous Knowledge ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Culturally Sensitive ◽  
Limpopo Province ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Traditional Health ◽  
Traditional Health Practitioners ◽  
Health Practitioners

Background: Globally, health understanding and beliefs vary across sub-cultural groups, depending on geographical location. Increasingly, various parts of the world recognize these perspectives to offer culturally sensitive healthcare services at primary level. Understanding the indigenous perspectives of dysmenorrhea meaning from the custodians of knowledge holders may add to the value of literature that may be used to advocate humanized culturally sensitive healthcare. This article aimed to explore and describe the perspectives regarding the meaning of indigenous dysmenorrhea among Batlokwa traditional health practitioners (THPs) and indigenous knowledge holders (IKHs). Methods: A qualitative, explorative study with a modified photovoice design, which included photographs, interviews and lekgotla discussion was employed to engage THPs and IKHs residing in Botlokwa Limpopo province, South Africa. Initially, a purposive sampling technique was used to select the participants, followed by snowball sampling. The participants themselves analyzed the photographs and described their meaning during individual interview using the acronym “PHOTO”. The researchers employed thematic analysis of interviews and Lekgotla discussion, in which themes were identified, formulated and analyzed from the codified data set. Results: In total, eight women participated in the photovoice study. The findings showed that indigenous understanding of dysmenorrhea stems from the African belief about health and illness with special emphasis on importance of holistic meaning. To the THPs and IKHs dysmenorrhea was a broad and integrated trend of a normal or abnormal process of illness that occurs periodically during menstruation. Conclusions: The THP’s and IKH’s indigenous meaning of dysmenorrhea reflects physical, mental, emotional, social, environmental, political and economic dimensions. Therefore, dysmenorrhea should be understood from a holistic approach. With appropriate partnerships and processes in place, this knowledge may be well represented in dominant healthcare systems and health research.

scholarly journals Perceptions of Ghanaian traditional health practitioners, primary health care workers, service users and caregivers regarding collaboration for mental health care

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Solomon Nyame ◽  
Edward Adiibokah ◽  
Yasmin Mohammed ◽  
Victor C. Doku ◽  
Caleb Othieno ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Traditional Health ◽  
Healthcare Needs ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Traditional Health Practitioners ◽  
Health Practitioners

Abstract Background In low- and middle-income countries, the paucity of conventional health services means that many people with mental health problems rely on traditional health practitioners (THPs). This paper examines the possibility of forging partnerships at the Primary Health Care (PHC) level in two geopolitical regions of Ghana, to maximize the benefits to both health systems. Methods The study was a qualitative cross-sectional survey. Eight (8) focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted between February and April 2014. The views of THPs, PHC providers, service users (i.e. patients) and their caregivers, on the perceived benefits, barriers and facilitators of forging partnerships were examined. A thematic framework approach was employed for analysis. Results The study revealed that underlying the widespread approval of forging partnerships, there were mutual undertones of suspicion. While PHC providers were mainly concerned that THPs may incur harms to service users (e.g., through delays in care pathways and human rights abuses), service users and their caregivers highlighted the failure of conventional medical care to meet their healthcare needs. There are practical challenges to these collaborations, including the lack of options to adequately deal with human rights issues such as some patients being chained and exposed to the vagaries of the weather at THPs. There is also the issue of the frequent shortage of psychotropic medication at PHCs. Conclusion Addressing these barriers could enhance partnerships. There is also a need to educate all providers, which should include sessions clarifying the potential value of such partnerships.

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