College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia.
Department of Population and Health, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Post Office Box UC 182, Ghana.
Int Health. 2023 Jul 4;15(4):414-427. doi: 10.1093/inthealth/ihac059.
Traditional medicine (TM) plays a vital role in the Ghanaian health system by serving as an alternative healthcare delivery system for the majority of people. However, the quality of practice and level of TM practitioners' involvement in the integration of TM into the health system have not been fully investigated.
This study employed a phenomenological qualitative study design to explore the perceptions, experiences and recommendations of TM practitioners in the Ashanti region regarding TM integration. Data were collected through individual interviews with 17 participants.
Participants had knowledge about TM integration. They cited effective alternative healthcare delivery and improved patient outcomes as the key benefits of TM integration. However, they reported a shortage of approved TM products, poor visibility of TM integration and poor relational coordination of care as factors hampering the integration. Participants recommended improved interprofessional relationships, provision of financial support and improved publicity of TM as possible strategies to enhance TM integration in Ghana.
The findings of the study clearly demonstrate that the Ghanaian health system is currently operating a consumer-led, tolerant health system with a parallel (between orthodox and TM practitioners) healthcare delivery model. Successful implementation of an effective TM integration would require improved integrative collaborative coordination of care between orthodox and TM practitioners in Ghana.
传统医学（TM）在加纳卫生系统中发挥着至关重要的作用，为大多数人提供了替代医疗服务系统。然而，TM 的实践质量以及 TM 从业者参与 TM 融入卫生系统的程度尚未得到充分调查。
本研究采用现象学定性研究设计，探讨阿散蒂地区 TM 从业者对 TM 整合的看法、经验和建议。通过对 17 名参与者的个人访谈收集数据。
参与者对 TM 整合有一定的了解。他们认为 TM 整合的主要好处是有效提供替代医疗服务和改善患者的治疗效果。然而，他们报告说，TM 整合面临着一些障碍，如缺乏批准的 TM 产品、TM 整合的可见度低以及医疗服务的协调关系不佳。参与者建议改善专业间关系、提供财政支持以及提高 TM 的宣传，以促进 TM 在加纳的整合。
研究结果清楚地表明，加纳卫生系统目前采用的是一种以消费者为导向、宽容的卫生系统，其医疗服务模式是并行的（在正统医学从业者和 TM 从业者之间）。要成功实施有效的 TM 整合，需要在加纳改善正统医学从业者和 TM 从业者之间的综合协作协调护理。
