Traditional Health Care Facilities Research Articles

Safeguards and weightless of electronic chain of command consolidated for virtual patient evaluation.

The Internet of Things (IoT), 5G cellular technology, and Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) are enabling a wide range of IoT-based application cases that are both intelligent. As one of the most impactful applications of the Internet of Things (IoT), healthcare makes use of AAL (Ambient Assisted Living), mobile health (mHealth), and electronic health (eHealth). Spending on health is a significant portion of people’s income. Traditional medicine is prone to long delays, waste of money and effort, and even death. RVO (Remote Victim Observation) can be utilized to circumvent problems associated with traditional healthcare facilities because of IoT’s intelligence and predictive power. With the help of IoT-based RVO and wearable devices, sensor networks, and other digital infrastructure, we can detect oncoming situations before they become life-threatening or even fatal. IoT integration with healthcare units was demonstrated in order to build a trustworthy, available, and secure RVO system. Secure end to end communication, encryption of RFID data, and privacy protection are all part of the proposed solution. An android wearable watch (Biosensor | Body sensor), a server using REST framework, and a smartphone app to monitor and detect falls, blood pressure, and heart rate are all part of the system. As a bonus, the peace and quiet of this secluded location contribute to the attraction. Using this RVO could improve health care and quality of life, according to an empirical investigation.

An investigation of the factors influencing the choice of healthcare facility in South Africa

The objective of the study was to assess the factors that motivate or demotivate households to choose among the three healthcare facilities, public healthcare, private health care and traditional healthcare facilities in South Africa as revealed by Statistics South Africa . The utilisation of healthcare facilities in South Africa is such that more households prefer public healthcare facilities more than other healthcare facilities. The multinomial logit model was used, with traditional/self-medication category as the reference or baseline category. The results indicated that gender, income and access to grants were significant in influencing the probability of a household choosing a public healthcare facility, while age, income, grants, salaries/wages/commission and pensions were significant in influencing the choice of private healthcare institutions. Therefore the study recommends that due to a large portion of households that are using public health facilities compared to private and traditional facilities, the government must invest more in public healthcare facilities in South Africa.

The Role of Leadership, Organizational Citizenship Behavioral and Work Environment in Improving Employee Job Satisfaction

Early 2020 was marked by the outbreak of the Covid 19 pandemic throughout the world in general and Indonesia in particular. All parties work together to be able to cope with the Covid 19 pandemic outbreak. One of the institutions that has an important role in handling the Covid 19 pandemic is an institution engaged in the health sector, such as independent practice places for health workers, community health centers, clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, blood transfusion units, health laboratories, optics, service facilities. Medicine for legal purposes, and traditional health care facilities (PP No. 47/2016 Article 4). All health facilities are making every effort to be able to provide assistance to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study is to analyze and determine the impact of leadership, organizational citizenship behavioral and work environment on employee job satisfaction at Dr. Rawap Inap Clinic. M. Suherman, University of Muhammadiyah Jember. The study population was all employees of the Rawap Inap Clinic dr. M. SUherman Universitas Muhammadiyah Jember, amounting to 70 employees consisting of doctors, nurses and administrative staff as well as office boys. The number of samples in this study were 34 respondents who had filled out a questionnaire sent by google form. The data analysis method used is multiple linear regression analysis. The results showed that the work environment has an effect on employee job satisfaction. Leadership and organizational citizenship behavioral do not have a significant effect on employee satisfaction.

Ethical Considerations Associated with the Usage of ICT “Smart Homes” for Elderly Dementia Patients (EPwD) in the UK

"Dementia encompasses a family of chronic-diseases that gradually causes permanent damage to the brain tissue. Its onset disproportionately affects elderly-individuals’ cognitive and motor abilities. Numerous studies have shown that continuous monitorization of the physiological parameters and activities of EPwD is of utmost necessity. It is commonly accepted that utilisation of Smart-Homes as an instance of Ambient-Assisted-Living technology can facilitate the care of EPwDs and improve the quality of their well-being. Smart-homes allow EPwD to lead independent and active lives. Outfitted with environmental and physiological sensors that allow patients to receive continuous, non-invasive, and seamless healthcare-service while staying in their convenient-home-environments, Smart-Homes can facilitate (1) remote monitoring of elderly patients’ homes and (2) efficient communication with traditional healthcare facilities. Significant ethical barriers impede the widespread adoption of Smart-House technology. Many Smart-Houses pose threats to the privacy, safety, and autonomy of elderly-residents. Constant dependence on ICT technology may also undermine EPwDs’ independence and leave them vulnerable to feelings of isolation and hopelessness. Acknowledgment and minimization of these ethical challenges are instrumental to boosting acceptance of Smart-House technology and addressing the primary-care needs of EPwDs. Although most existing Smart-House platforms fail to accommodate the specific requirements for elderly dementia care, few notable alternatives have emerged within the UK. This paper will review the effectiveness of Smart-Home technology on current dementia-care platforms in the UK, analyses significant ethical challenges associated with Smart-House technology use, and outline appropriate risk-mitigation proposals. All recommendations will be made in congruence with a public-health prevention-model. "

A Dynamic Analysis of the Demand for Health Care in Post-Apartheid South Africa.

The study aimed to investigate the drivers of demand for healthcare in South Africa 26 years after democracy. The pattern healthcare demand by households in South Africa is that most households use public healthcare services particularly public clinics compared to private and traditional healthcare facilities. Using conditional probability models, the logit model to be more specific, the results revealed that households head who is unemployed, households who do not have a business, households who were not receiving pension money, had a greater probability of demand for public healthcare institutions. On the other hand, being male, being White, Indian and Coloured, being a property owner and being not a grant beneficiary, reduces the probability of demand for public healthcare facilities in South Africa. As a result, the study recommends more investment in public healthcare but more in public clinics in South Africa due to the high percentage of households using these services. Also, the government must consider investing more in the maintenance and improvement of the welfare of nurses in the country considering the huge role they play in the delivery of healthcare to the citizens.

Assessment of Peri-Urban and Rural Cassava Farmer`s Perception of Orthodox and Traditional Healthcare Facilities in Enugu State, Nigeria.

The study analyzed the perception of peri-urban and rural cassava farmers' perfor- mance of orthodox and traditional healthcare facilities in Enugu State, Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling technique was adopted for this research. Four LGAs out of the seventeen LGAs in Enugu State that produces cassava were purposively se- lected for this research based on their cassava output figures. LGAs were consid- ered peri-urban and rural based on their population, several government parasta- tals and business establishments were found in these LGAs. Four communities were selected using the systematic random sampling technique. In each communi- ty, (15) cassava farmers were also randomly selected, making a total of (60) re- spondents in each LGA and a total of (240) respondents. The age bracket of 41-50 years (44.58%) of the respondents dominated cassava farming in the study area. The major perception problems amongst the respondents were; Inadequate/lack of orthodox healthcare facilities, problems of adulteration of drugs, poor government funding, risk of poisoning associated with overuse of drugs, practitioners not usu- ally cordial and friendly in the handling of patients, the harmful buildup of chemi- cals in the body from drugs, lack of external supervision of healthcare facilities by health inspectors and efficacy of drugs and treatment in the rural LGAs. More so, the result compared the profitability level of the two categories of farmers in the study area. It showed that an average of ₦186,210.56k was incurred as a cost of production per hectare for cassava farms in the rural local government areas compared to ₦183,805.08k per hectare for farmers in the peri-urban local govern- ment areas. An average of ₦288,741.11k was recorded as total revenue per hec- tare for farmers in the rural LGAs compared to ₦296,517.54k recorded per hec- tare for farmers in peri-urban areas. For the peri-urban and the rural LGAs, the double log functional form was chosen as the lead equation based on some signif- icant variables, the R-square, Adjusted-R square, the F-ratio and the conformity to a priori expectations.

Athletic Trainers’ Hand Hygiene Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Purpose: Hand hygiene (HH) is a cost-effective public health intervention to prevent infectious disease transmission, including COVID-19. Health care professionals have shown poor adherence to HH best practices, and little is known about athletic trainer (AT) HH. ATs typically work in dynamic, unpredictable environments, creating barriers to HH compliance. The purpose of this study was to understand the self-reported behaviors and challenges with adherence to HH of secondary school ATs, particularly related to mitigating infection transmission during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: In this qualitative study, we conducted 11 semi-structured interviews with secondary school ATs actively engaged in direct patient care (age=31±9 years; experience=9±8 years). A 2-person data analysis team used a multi-phase inductive coding process to identify emerging domains and themes to create a codebook. Trustworthiness and credibility were established with member checking, multi-researcher analysis, and internal auditing. Results: We identified four themes: 1) best practices awareness, 2) impact of COVID-19, 3) resources, and 4) community-based prevention. Participants indicated HH training was included during on-boarding, but lacked contextual knowledge for HH in clinical practice, despite identifying ATs as health care providers. Participants expressed increased HH frequency due to the COVID-19 pandemic and concern for transmission. Participants noted an overall positive perception of access to physical resources, like hand sanitizer, sinks, and soap, as well as financial support to provide those resources. Participants noted decreased perceived risk and lack of formal policy or enforcement of HH expectations for facility users. Conclusion: ATs have general knowledge and resources but lack contextual knowledge and behaviors to employ HH best practices. The COVID-19 pandemic increased awareness, but HH by athletic training facility users remains poor. ATs should engage in HH based on best practice recommendations consistent with a traditional healthcare facility. Policies should be developed and enforced to limit disease transmission.

Patient Experience of Obstetric Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Preliminary Results From a Recurring National Survey.

The experience of pregnant and postpartum patients continues to evolve during the COVID-19 pandemic. Limited clinical data and the unknown nature of the virus’ impact and transmission routes have forced constant changes to traditional care delivery. Dependence on telehealth technology such as telephonic and videoconferencing has surged, and patients’ willingness to visit traditional health care facilities has plummeted. We set out to create an ongoing surveillance system to monitor changes to prenatal and obstetric care and the patient experience during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Substance use disorders and COVID-19: the role of telehealth in treatment and research

ABSTRACT Telehealth, or the use of telecommunications and virtual technology to deliver health care and engage with patients outside of traditional health-care facilities, can play an important role in addressing the treatment and study of substance use disorders (SUDs) during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. COVID-19 and related safety restrictions have thrust healthcare workers and researchers into a new reality of healthcare that relies heavily, or even exclusively, on telehealth methods. These changes have forced treatment providers and researchers to be agile in adopting these methods in order to maintain continuity of patient care and data collection. There are unique considerations that should be taken into account as telehealth practices continue to augment SUD care and research, even when restrictions have been lifted. Overall, we propose that telehealth can support innovation in treatment and research focused on SUDs and should be an integral part of our work, beyond COVID-19.

Lean-Oriented Layout Design of a Health Care Facility.

In this article, we propose a method that integrates systematic layout planning techniques to lean health care practices aided by multicriteria decision analysis that could be applied to reformulate the layout of health care facilities. We analyze a high-variety sterilization unit of a large public hospital located in Brazil. The unit is currently implementing lean practices, and layout changes are required to provide more efficient materials and information flows. Traditional design of health care facilities is not aligned with lean implementation and its underlying practices and principles. We propose the integration of such approaches to enhance their benefits. To rank and select the best layout alternative, a multicriteria decision analysis method (analytic hierarchy process) is adopted. There are 3 contributions here: the integration of lean principles into traditional health care facility design practices, the use of multicriteria decision analysis to refine the determination of the best layout solution, and the application of our propositions in a real case study.

Virtual-reality based tele-neurorehabilitation: Balancing physical fidelity, challenge and immersion

Tele-rehabilitation refers to the use of information and communication technologies to more efficiently provide rehabilitation services to people remotely in their homes or other community-based settings. The goal is to improve patient access to care by receiving therapy beyond the physical walls of a traditional healthcare facility as well as to increase self-practice thus expanding the continuity of rehabilitation care. The recent developments of advanced sensors, graphic and remote monitoring technologies have enabled development of an increasing number of Virtual Reality (VR)-based tele-rehabilitation applications. The inclusion of VR into tele-neurorehabilitation aims, similar to regular rehabilitation, to increase the physical fidelity of the treatment to enable better generalization to real life activities and to increase engagement and motivation by providing the “right” challenge to users by “immersing” them into the therapeutic task. In addition, it allows implementation of principles to increase neural plasticity by providing opportunities for intensive and goal oriented practice. When delivered remotely, this form of VR intervention is challenging, for example, due to the need of the user to learn complex activities without a therapist physically present. An additional challenge is the need to develop applications that will achieve a balance between physical fidelity, level of challenge to the user and immersion, to assure quality of movements when the therapist is not present. The purpose of this presentation is to show evidence-based examples gleaned from our database of more than 200 users (and 5000 on-line sessions) who have used the CogniMotion VR tele-neurorehabilitation services over the past four years. A discussion will focus on the lessons learned while providing this form of intervention remotely. NA. NA. NA.

Sustainability of a person-centered ward atmosphere and possibility to provide person-centered forensic psychiatric care after facility relocation

ObjectiveThis longitudinal study aims to assess the sustainability of staff perceptions of ward atmosphere and their possibility to provide person-centered forensic psychiatric care after relocation to new hospitals that aimed to provide supportive work conditions for the staff to be able to perform care of high quality. MethodsIn this study we only present the result for the repeated measures, that is, only the individuals that performed both the questionnaires at baseline and at the three follow-ups. Data were collected prospectively between 2010 and 2016; before (baseline) and after relocation of the forensic psychiatric clinics to new buildings, i.e., after six months (follow-up 1), after one year (follow-up 2) and after two years (follow-up 3), respectively. Data were obtained by employing structured validated questionnaires. ResultsThe main findings of this study display an improvement in the staff assessment of a person-centered atmosphere from baseline to follow-up 3 in the domains of safety, everydayness and community where safety was evaluated the highest. No sustainable significant changes were found concerning staff's assessment of the support for them to provide person-centered care. ConclusionThe findings show sustainability of person-centered ward atmosphere in forensic psychiatric care according to staff's assessment after relocation from traditional health care facilities to evidence-based designed premises. In this study the increased staff perception of the possibility to provide person-centered care in the new facilities could not be revealed as sustainability over the two years of follow-up.

Primary health care as assessed by health professionals: comparison of the traditional model versus the Family Health Strategy

The Family Health Strategy (FHS) should be first-contact care in the Brazilian Health System. However, Primary Health Care (PHC) still encompasses two models: the FHS and the traditional health care facilities. The expansion of the FHS has been slow and heterogeneous in many cities, rendering a comparative evaluation of key quality-related elements of PHC models crucial. To compare the performance of PHC models as perceived by health professionals. A cross-sectional study involving managers and health professionals from PHC of a medium-size city in South-eastern Brazil. Data were collected by applying the Primary Care Assessment Tool. The performance was estimated through primary health care indexes (general and partial PHCI by attributes). Univariate polytomous logistic regression was performed to compare care model performances according to their attributes. Strength of association was estimated by odds ratio with 95% confidence interval. Three managers and 81 health professionals participated in the study. The FHS had a better index rating than the traditional care model for general PHCI and for the attributes longitudinality, comprehensiveness, family focus and professional level. Although the FHS attained higher scores compared to the traditional model, it has not yet achieved the performance expected. This scenario points to the need for increased FHS cover and quality improvements at the existing units.

Acceptability and feasibility of self-sampling for the screening of sexually transmitted infections in cabana privacy shelters.

Screening for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) outside of traditional health-care facilities is limited by the privacy needed for sample collection. We explored the acceptability of privacy shelters for the self-collection of genital swabs and tested the use of privacy shelters during mobile STI screening. Attendees ≥14 years old at two outdoor community events completed a questionnaire that assessed participant characteristics, health-care access, and rating of acceptability of self-collecting penile or vaginal swabs in a privacy shelter and four other private spaces: portable restroom, health van, home, and doctor's office. A privacy shelter was used during mobile STI screening. The majority (65%) of the 95 participants reported that using a privacy shelter was somewhat or very acceptable. No participant characteristics or health-care access factors were associated with the acceptability of privacy shelters. Women rated a privacy shelter more acceptable than a portable restroom or health van. Men rated a privacy shelter more acceptable than a portable restroom. During mobile STI screening, all 13 men and women who requested STI testing used the privacy shelter for self-sampling. Rating of acceptability before and after privacy shelter use was the same. Privacy shelters may enable STI screening without using a building or vehicle for sample collection.

A Qualitative Study on Maternal and Child Health Practices among Baiga Tribe of Madhya Pradesh State in Central India

Introduction: Health improvement for the tribal and their delivery system cannot be the same because of cultural pattern, lifestyle and health seeking behavior of tribal population. Maternal and child health care practices observed to be poor among particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs) in India. Methods: Focus Group Discussions (FDS) were conducted among ever married women aged 15-49 years. Areas explored included disclosure of pregnancy status, access barriers, perceptions about existing maternal and child health (MCH) services and influencing factors for utilization of traditional health care facilities. Content and thematic analysis was used to identify common responses and ideas. Results: Twelve FDGs were undertaken by trained investigators one in each village. Participants were identified through the Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) residing in the same village. It was observed that few women are disclosing their pregnancy status to their family members after first trimester; women have many wrong perceptions about safe delivery and abortions. Due to lack of transport facilities and poverty they felt seeking health care was difficult and costly. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that Baiga is one of the PVTGs residing in dense forest in central India have low awareness and underutilization of MCH services. Key words: Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups, Tribal Population, Indigenous Health System, Maternal and Child Health, Rural Practice, Forest and Interior, Remote Area

A data mining methodology for predicting early stage Parkinson's disease using non-invasive, high-dimensional gait sensor data

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurological disorder after Alzheimer's disease. Key clinical features of PD are motor-related and are typically assessed by healthcare providers based on qualitative visual inspection of a patient's movement/gait/posture. More advanced diagnostic techniques such as computed tomography scans that measure brain function, can be cost prohibitive and may expose patients to radiation and other harmful effects. To mitigate these challenges, and open a pathway to remote patient-physician assessment, the authors of this work propose a data mining–driven methodology that uses low cost, non-invasive sensors to model and predict the presence (or lack therefore) of PD movement abnormalities and model clinical subtypes. The study presented here evaluates the discriminative ability of non-invasive hardware and data mining algorithms to classify PD cases and controls. A 10-fold cross-validation approach is used to compare several data mining algorithms in order to determine that which provides the most consistent results when varying the subject gait data. Next, the predictive accuracy of the data mining model is quantified by testing it against unseen data captured from a test pool of subjects. The proposed methodology demonstrates the feasibility of using non-invasive, low cost, hardware and data mining models to monitor the progression of gait features outside of the traditional healthcare facility, which may ultimately lead to earlier diagnosis of emerging neurological diseases.

Machine learning classification of medication adherence in patients with movement disorders using non-wearable sensors

Medication non-adherence is a major concern in the healthcare industry and has led to increases in health risks and medical costs. For many neurological diseases, adherence to medication regimens can be assessed by observing movement patterns. However, physician observations are typically assessed based on visual inspection of movement and are limited to clinical testing procedures. Consequently, medication adherence is difficult to measure when patients are away from the clinical setting. The authors propose a data mining driven methodology that uses low cost, non-wearable multimodal sensors to model and predict patients' adherence to medication protocols, based on variations in their gait. The authors conduct a study involving Parkinson's disease patients that are “on” and “off” their medication in order to determine the statistical validity of the methodology. The data acquired can then be used to quantify patients' adherence while away from the clinic. Accordingly, this data-driven system may allow for early warnings regarding patient safety. Using whole-body movement data readings from the patients, the authors were able to discriminate between PD patients on and off medication, with accuracies greater than 97% for some patients using an individually customized model and accuracies of 78% for a generalized model containing multiple patient gait data. The proposed methodology and study demonstrate the potential and effectiveness of using low cost, non-wearable hardware and data mining models to monitor medication adherence outside of the traditional healthcare facility. These innovations may allow for cost effective, remote monitoring of treatment of neurological diseases.

Self-reported hand hygiene practices, and feasibility and acceptability of alcohol-based hand rubs among village healthcare workers in Inner Mongolia, China

BackgroundGood hand hygiene is critical to reduce the risk of healthcare-associated infections. Limited data are available on hand hygiene practices from rural healthcare systems in China.AimTo assess the feasibility and acceptability of sanitizing hands with alcohol-based hand rubs (ABHRs) among Chinese village healthcare workers, and to assess their hand hygiene practice.MethodsFive hundred bottles of ABHR were given to village healthcare workers in Inner Mongolia, China. Standardized questionnaires collected information on their work load, availability, and usage of hand hygiene facilities, and knowledge, attitudes, and practices of hand hygiene.FindingsIn all, 369 (64.2%) participants completed the questionnaire. Although 84.5% of the ABHR recipients believed that receiving the ABHR improved their hand hygiene practice, 78.8% of recipients would pay no more than US$1.5 out of their own pocket (actual cost US$4). The majority (77.2%) who provided medical care at patients’ homes never carried hand rubs with them outside their clinics. In general, self-reported hand hygiene compliance was suboptimal, and the lowest compliance was ‘before touching a patient’. Reported top three complaints with using ABHR were skin irritation, splashing, and unpleasant residual. Village doctors with less experience practised less hand hygiene.ConclusionThe overall acceptance of ABHR among the village healthcare workers is high as long as it is provided to them for free/low cost, but their overall hand hygiene practice is suboptimal. Hand hygiene education and training is needed in settings outside of traditional healthcare facilities.

Patterns of utilization of orthodox and/or traditional healthcare services among pregnant women and mothers of under-five children in a rural community: Case study of Njaba, Imo State, Nigeria

Background: It has been stated that poor utilization of quality reproductive health service continues to contribute to maternal morbidity and mortality in Nigeria. Objective: The objective was to investigate the pattern of orthodox and/or traditional healthcare utilization among pregnant women and mothers of under.five children in Njaba and associated factors. Materials and Methods: A. cross.sectional survey of 422 women using multi.stage sampling, data collection instrument was a semi.structured interviewer.administered questionnaire. Data were analyzed with SPSS. (16.0) and Mathcad 7 professional. Frequency distributions and percentages were tabulated; Z.test was applied as a test of significance, and confidence intervals. (CIs) calculated. P < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Ante.natal choice of care for 83.65% of them was orthodox healthcare, while 11.37% used traditional healthcare. Experienced/trained staff. (Z-score = 13.64, =0.000 and CI = 0.41–0.65) and neat environment. (Z-score = 13.98, =0.000 and CI = 0.45–0.69) were statistically significant reasons why the women preferred orthodox healthcare, whereas, good staff attitude. (Z-score = 12.57, =0.000 and CI = 0.62–0.80) was a statistically significant reason why some preferred traditional healthcare. Among the respondents who had delivered previously, 85.83% of the 374 deliveries were in orthodox healthcare facilities, while 14.17% were in traditional healthcare facilities. Conclusions: Majority used orthodox healthcare facilities because of experienced staff and neat environment, while some used traditional healthcare facilities due to better staff attitude. Attitudinal change in the orthodox facilities and training for traditional healthcare personnel are recommended.

Editorial: Institutionalization of African Traditional Medicine in Health Care Systems in Africa

In recent times, the phrase " traditional medicine" has become a catchword among the peoples in all countries in Africa. This has been due partly because the use of herbal remedies has gained popularity worldwide and the exploitation of these remedies has become a multimillion industry. The term "African traditional medicine" is not synonymous with "Alternative and complimentary medicine" which is a misnomer which is sometimes used. African traditional medicine is the African indigenous system of health care and therefore cannot be an alternative. In Africa, there is an important reason why African traditional medicine has become increasingly popular. The high cost of allopathic medical health care and the expensive pharmaceutical products have become unavailable to a majority of people. Naturally, the many centuries-old alternative sources of health care have become handy, often in desperate situations. In fact, the frequently quoted statement that 85 per cent of the people in Africa use traditional medicine, is an understatement because this figure is much higher and continues to increase. At the Alma Atta Declaration of 1978, it was resolved that traditional medicine had to be incorporated in the health care systems in developing countries if the objective of the "Health for All by the Year 2000" was to be realized. Notwithstanding this strategy, African countries did not come near the objective at the end of the 20th century. Therefore, the Member States of the WHO African Region adopted a resolution in 2000 called "Promoting the role of traditional medicine in health care systems: A strategy for the African Region". This strategy provides for the institutionalization of traditional medicine in health care systems of the member states of the WHO African Region. Furthermore, the OAU (African Union) Heads of State and Government declared the period 2000 - 2010 as the African Decade on African Traditional Medicine. In addition, the Director General of the World Health Organization also declared 31st August every year as African Traditional Medicine Day. All these declarations signify the importance and the approval by Governments and international institutions of the need to institutionalize African traditional medicine in health care. Therefore the mechanisms for institutionalization have to be developed to make these resolutions a reality. In view of the complexity and heterogeneity of African traditional medicine, a system of incorporation in the current health care systems has to be developed. During the last four years the WHO Regional Director for Africa and his Secretariat took up the challenge and have developed model guidelines that the Member States can adapt or adopt as may be appropriate in the respective Member States. Some of the relevant guidelines include the following: 1. Guidelines for the formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of a National Traditional Medicine Policy 2. Model legal framework for the practice of traditional medicine: The Traditional Health Practitioners Bill; 3. Model Codes of Ethics for Traditional Health Practitioners 4. A Regional framework for the registration of traditional medicines in the WHO African Region; 5. A regulatory framework for the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) and indigenous knowledge of traditional medicines in the WHO African Region. These guidelines and others provide a basis for the incorporation of African traditional medicine in a manner that would best suit a particular country. The WHO Regional Director for Africa also appointed a Regional Expert Committee on Traditional Medicine which assists in the development of these guidelines. It is important to emphasize that as more and more people use this traditional health care facility, there is an urgent need for the appropriate systems of quality control in the practice as well as in the production and use of the medicines. Such systems will protect the public and also ensure that the best practices and the most useful medicines are made available in the most affordable manner. Every country in the African region would be expected to adopt a method of incorporation that would be suitable: integrative, inclusive, or tolerant, as the case may be. It is an undeniable fact that we cannot afford to sit on the fence. All the stakeholders stand to gain a great deal in the development and promotion of African traditional medicine. In particular, all the practitioners in the present allopathic health care system will gain professionally as well as economically as they will have access to an additional culture-friendly system with which to provide services to the people. All the stakeholders must join hands in the effort to institutionalize the appropriate African traditional medicine in the health care systems in order to provide the health services that are urgently needed in the communities.