University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Africa Health Research Institute, South Africa.
Health Inf Manag. 2023 Jan;52(1):41-49. doi: 10.1177/1833358320984004. Epub 2021 Jan 22.
Documentation of patient health information in the form of patient medical records (PMRs) is an essential, ethical and regulatory requirement in any healthcare system. African traditional medicine (ATM) exists parallel to biomedicine and continues to play a significant role in primary healthcare of the majority of South Africans. The World Health Organization (WHO) has promoted the integration of ATM into the national health system of South Africa. Patient health information documentation can facilitate this integration, and PMRs promote communication between the two health systems through referrals. Documentation in biomedicine is a clear, compulsory, routine activity, but does not occur regularly or routinely in ATM.
To examine the attitudes and perceptions of traditional health practitioners (THPs) towards documentation of patient health information in their practice.
This quantitative cross-sectional survey involved snowball sampling to recruit THPs in Umlazi Township and rural parts surrounding the township, in Durban, South Africa. A semi-structured questionnaire was used. Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS 25 and the Relative Importance Index (RII) and qualitative data were analysed using Excel for themes.
Sampling resulted in 248 THPs of whom 178 (72%) were females. The RII ranked the factors that negatively influenced the participants' attitudes towards documentation of patient health information. Of the 178 females who participated in the study, 129 (72.5%) showed their willingness to introduce documentation in their practice. Of the 127 participants with less than 10 years of practice experience, 126 (99.2%) agreed to the importance of introducing PMRs in their practice. The majority of participants perceived documentation of patient health information as vital to improve their practice. A prominent theme was that the THPs regarded documenting patient health information as important and effective in their practice.
More than half of participants showed positive attitudes and perceptions towards documenting of patient health information in ATM. The majority of the participants in this study acknowledged the importance of introducing documentation of patient health information in their practice even though they lacked experience and more knowledge. This reflects a need for essential intervention in developing specialised tools to begin promoting documentation of patient health information in ATM.
以患者病历（PMR）形式记录患者健康信息是任何医疗保健系统的基本、道德和监管要求。非洲传统医学（ATM）与生物医学并存，继续在南非大多数人的初级保健中发挥重要作用。世界卫生组织（WHO）已促进将 ATM 纳入南非国家卫生系统。患者健康信息的记录可以促进这种整合，PMR 通过转诊促进两个卫生系统之间的交流。生物医学中的记录是一项明确、强制性、常规的活动，但在 ATM 中并不经常或常规进行。
调查传统卫生从业者（THP）对其实践中记录患者健康信息的态度和看法。
本定量横断面调查采用雪球抽样法，在南非德班的乌姆拉齐镇和周边农村地区招募传统卫生从业者。使用半结构式问卷。使用 SPSS 25 分析定量数据，并使用相对重要性指数（RII）和 Excel 分析定性数据以得出主题。
抽样结果共招募了 248 名 THP，其中 178 名（72%）为女性。RII 对影响参与者对记录患者健康信息态度的因素进行了排名。在参与研究的 178 名女性中，有 129 名（72.5%）表示愿意在实践中引入记录。在实践经验不足 10 年的 127 名参与者中，有 126 名（99.2%）同意在实践中引入 PMR 的重要性。大多数参与者认为记录患者健康信息对改善他们的实践至关重要。一个突出的主题是，THP 认为记录患者健康信息对他们的实践很重要且有效。
超过一半的参与者对 ATM 中记录患者健康信息表现出积极的态度和看法。尽管大多数参与者缺乏经验和更多的知识，但他们承认在实践中引入记录患者健康信息的重要性。这反映出需要采取必要的干预措施，开发专门的工具，以开始促进 ATM 中记录患者健康信息。
