Understanding traditional healer utilisation for hypertension care using the Andersen model
A qualitative study in Mwanza, Tanzania
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15540774 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Radhika Sundararajan (0000-0002-8451-2243, Cornell University, corresponding author), Rinu Alakiu (Cornell University), Matthew Ponticiello (0000-0002-8684-7047, Weill Cornell Medicine), Giselle Birch (University College London), Godfrey Kisigo (0000-0001-6454-3969, Bugando Medical Centre), Elialilia S Okello (0000-0002-0507-1815, Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit), Robert N Peck (0000-0002-4526-2480, Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 2191687-2191687 |
| Publication date | 2023-01-02 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Global Public Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1744-1692 • E-ISSN: 1744-1706 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/17441692.2023.2191687 |
| PMID | 36973183 |
| OpenAlex | W4360989631 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 52 |
Hypertension disproportionately affects people living in African countries, where there are many challenges to appropriate diagnosis and treatment, and many people with hypertension utilise traditional healers as their primary source of healthcare. In this study, we sought to understand factors driving healer utilisation among people with hypertension. We conducted 52 semi-structured interviews with traditional healers, patients and healthcare providers in the Mwanza region of Tanzania. We used the Andersen model of healthcare utilisation to organise our findings on factors driving utilisation of traditional healers for hypertension care. Traditional healers routinely provide care to hypertensive patients and are a critical component of the healthcare landscape. However, healers also operate independently of the biomedical healthcare system, and biomedical providers may hold negative perceptions of healers. Further, healers were described as preferential by patients due to the convenient locations of their practices and perceived improvement of hypertension symptoms with traditional treatment. Finally, healers expressed a desire for more formal collaboration with biomedicine to improve patient care. Our findings may guide future interventions in Tanzanian communities and elsewhere where traditional healers may act as partners to allopathic providers and patients in the continuum of hypertension care
Allopathic medicine · Alternative medicine · Biomedicine · Developing country · Economic growth · Family medicine · Health care · Psychological intervention · Qualitative research · Social science · Socioeconomics · Sociology · Tanzania · Traditional medicine · Blood Pressure and Hypertension Studies · Global Public Health Policies and Epidemiology · Medicine · Nursing
A scoping review of qualitative studies examining the factors influencing hypertension treatment adherence in East Africa
Tuberculosis screening and care delivery in pregnant and postpartum persons living with HIV in Botswana
Medicinal plants used for dermatological disorders among the Nyamwezi community in Tabora region, Tanzania
Formative research to inform the future design of a multicomponent fatherhood intervention to improve early child development in Mwanza, Tanzania
Determinants of treatment-seeking behaviour among the hypertensive population in Northeast India
Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 79 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks in 188 countries, 1990–2013
Traditional, complementary and alternative medicine use in Sub-Saharan Africa
Prevalence, Awareness, Treatment, and Control of Hypertension in Rural and Urban Communities in High-, Middle-, and Low-Income Countries
Global Burden of Hypertension and Systolic Blood Pressure of at Least 110 to 115 mm Hg, 1990-2015
Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 79 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks, 1990–2015
Use of traditional medicine and control of hypertension in 12 African countries
The Coping Mechanisms and Strategies of Hypertension Patients in Ghana
"For someone who's rich, it's not a problem". Insights from Tanzania on diabetes health-seeking and medical pluralism among Dar es Salaam's urban poor
Concurrent use of traditional medicine and ART
Beyond medical pluralism
The Countersyndemic Potential of Medical Pluralism among People Living with HIV in Tanzania
Low utilization of health care services following screening for hypertension in Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)
Patterns and Implications of Medical Pluralism Among HIV/Aids Patients in Rural South Africa
Utilization of traditional medicine in primary health care in low- and middle-income countries
Use of traditional medicine in middle-income countries
Code Saturation Versus Meaning Saturation
Integrating Traditional Medicine and Healing into the Ghanaian Mainstream Health System
Revisiting the Behavioral Model and Access to Medical Care
Traditional healers as client advocates in the HIV-endemic region of Maputo, Mozambique
| Citations per year | 1.67 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2023 - 2026 (4) |
| Highly cited | No |