Gedif Teferi, Hahn Heinz-Jurgen
Institute of Pharmacoepidemiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, W-Langenbeck Strasse 4, D-06120, Halle, Germany.
Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2002 Oct-Nov;11(7):587-91. doi: 10.1002/pds.729.
To study the utilization patterns of herbal drug use in urban Ethiopia.
A cross-sectional community-based survey was conducted in Addis Ababa, capital city of Ethiopia, using a pretested semi-structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was administered to 600 heads of households, largely mothers, selected using a multi-stage systematic random sampling technique, where the final sampling units were households.
The prevalence of herbal drugs use was found to be 37%. The main reasons given for choosing herbal medicine as the first line medication option were: dissatisfaction with the services of modern health institutions due to their time consuming nature, cost considerations and perceived efficacy.
This study showed that in spite of the geographic accessibility of modern health institutions in urban areas, the use of traditional medicine, particularly herbal drugs, remains a major form of health care option. Hence health planners should give appropriate consideration to this sector.
研究埃塞俄比亚城市地区草药的使用模式。
在埃塞俄比亚首都亚的斯亚贝巴开展了一项基于社区的横断面调查，采用经过预测试的半结构化问卷。通过多阶段系统随机抽样技术选取了600户家庭的户主，其中大部分是母亲，最终抽样单位是家庭。
发现草药的使用率为37%。选择草药作为一线用药选项的主要原因是：由于现代医疗机构耗时、费用以及预期疗效等因素，对其服务不满意。
本研究表明，尽管城市地区现代医疗机构在地理上易于到达，但传统医学，尤其是草药的使用仍然是主要的医疗保健选择形式。因此，卫生规划者应适当考虑这一领域。
