An insight into patient management and health outcome monitoring by traditional healers in Botswana

Abstract

Appropriate medical and ethical conduct of traditional healers is often questioned by experts in the biomedical field. The absence of efficacy proofs and perceived inappropriate dosage measures are cited as reasons for doubting the authenticity of traditional medical practice. The main objective of the study was to analyse patient care processes, the monitoring of treatment adherence and health outcomes by traditional healers including management of side effects. A participatory/exploratory study design, which combined multiple level data collection and analysis, was chosen. Data were collected through consultative and report-back workshops, face-to-face administration of structured and unstructured interviews and non-obtrusive participant observations. Research findings suggest that traditional healers in Botswana areas of expertise include sexually transmitted infections, children’s conditions and reproductive health. Healers maintain close healer-patient relations through effective monitoring of dosage intake, treatment adherence, side effect detection and health improvement. The strategies include coupling prescribed medicine with follow-up visits and phone calls or intake of ‘stay-in’ patients. Healers were found to have an unwritten code of ethical conduct which puts the healing/well-being of a patient at the centre of their practice - a standpoint agreeable with general biomedical ethics. The study demonstrates the provision of quality health services by traditional healers, which should serve as an entry point for holistic health care provision and policy integration.The study concludes that concerns about laboratory validation/assessment of risks tend to devalue preclinical healers’ patient observational insights, which, when documented properly, can be harnessed for drug discovery as well as for value-added development of traditional medicines.