Abstract
BackgroundThe use of complementary and alternative medicine including herbal medicine is increasing in many countries including Ghana. However, there is paucity of research on the perspectives of patrons of herbal medicine regarding the facilitators and barriers of herbal medicine use. This study sought to investigate the facilitators and barriers of herbal medicine among Ghanaian adults who use one form of herbal medicine or the other.MethodsThe study employed an inductive exploratory qualitative approach. It was conducted at a private herbal clinic in Accra. Purposive sampling was employed to recruit 16 participants. Data collection was through individual face-to-face interviews and these were transcribed and analysed using content analysis procedures.ResultsIt was realized that the factors that enhanced the use of herbal medicine included use of convincing information to enhance the initiation of herbal medicine use, effectiveness of herbal medicine, personal preference for herbal medicine, perceived ineffectiveness of western medicine and integration of spirituality in herbal medicine. The factors that hindered herbal medicine use included negative perceptions and attitudes about herbal medicine, poor vending environment, poor knowledge of vendors, high cost of herbal products at credible herbal clinics and inconsistent effectiveness of some herbal products. Participants desired that the national health insurance scheme will cover the cost of herbal medicine to alleviate the financial burden associated with herbal medicine use.ConclusionAlthough some Ghanaians patronize herbal medicine, the negative perceptions about herbal medicine resulting from deceitful producers and vendors call for enhanced education and monitoring to ensure that effective herbal products are used.
Highlights
The use of complementary and alternative medicine including herbal medicine is increasing in many countries including Ghana
Setting The study was conducted at a private herbal clinic in Accra, Ghana
The study was conducted at a private herbal clinic, the participants had varied backgrounds and shared their perspectives freely leading to in-depth findings on barriers and facilitators of herbal medicine use
Summary
The use of complementary and alternative medicine including herbal medicine is increasing in many countries including Ghana. Regulatory bodies responsible for food and drugs have responsibility to ensure the safety of herbal products used by individuals [1, 17] It means that herbal medicine producers are to be licensed and their products investigated and certified before they are sold to the public [14, 16, 18]. Training of herbal medicine practitioners has been instituted in many countries including Ghana to ensure that providers are well informed about specific herbal medicines and its use [17]. The inclusion of herbal medicine providers in the regular education system even at the tertiary level goes to increase the credibility of herbal medicine in contemporary healthcare as occurs at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana.
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