Abstract
In settings where traditional medicine is a crucial part of the healthcare system, providing culturally competent healthcare services is vital to improving patient satisfaction and health outcomes. Therefore, this study sought to gain insight into how cultural beliefs influence health-seeking behaviors (HSBs) among Mozambicans. Participant observation and in-depth interviews (IDIs) were undertaken using the ethnonursing method to investigate beliefs and views that Mozambicans (living in Pemba City) often take into account to meet their health needs. Data were analyzed in accordance with Leininger’s ethnonursing guidelines. Twenty-seven IDIs were carried out with 12 informants from the Makonde and Makuwa tribes. The choice of health service was influenced by perceptions of health and illness through a spiritual lens, belief in supernatural forces, dissatisfaction with and dislike of the public medical system on grounds of having received poor-quality treatment, perceived poor communication skills of health professionals, and trust in the indigenous medical system. This study confirmed the need for health professionals to carefully take cultural influences into consideration when providing care for their patients. We recommend an educational intervention that emphasizes communication skills training for healthcare workers to ensure successful physician/nurse–patient relationships.
Highlights
Despite significant advances in medical care, in Mozambique, many people still die from diseases for which effective treatments have been established
I select an alternative as a curandeirismo even it is costly I will go back to the Curandeiros”. This mini ethnonursing study sought to understand the role of culture in health-seeking behaviors (HSBs) among Mozambicans living in Pemba City
Traditional medicine (TM) as an established healthcare system; i.e., TM was the most popular first line of treatment sought by most people who were explored in this study
Summary
Despite significant advances in medical care, in Mozambique, many people still die from diseases for which effective treatments have been established. In practice, for most populations, some barriers remain regarding access to formal health services Factors such as fear of mistreatment by and distrust of care providers, wariness of governments, financial constraints, and ethno-pathogenic perspectives (produced from indigenous causes, not from western medicine) of illnesses have been reported to discourage people from using conventional health services in Mozambique [5]. Epidemiological data support the view that poor accessibility to health facilities and lack of adequate medical infrastructure limit access to conventional health services [6,7,8] In these circumstances, traditional healers are often the only form of healthcare for many people, especially those living in rural areas, to meet their healthcare needs or understand the causes of their social problems [9]. Even when conventional health services are available and accessible, some people in Africa still show a preference for traditional
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