Barimah Antwi Joseph, Barimah Kofi Bobi, Dumba James, Nketiah Yaw Boakye, David Adom-Brobbey, Mmaa Tampuri Sheena, Ntow Asantewaa Nancy, Kwadwo Owusu
College of Health Yamfo, Yamfo, Ghana.
Ghana Communication Technology University, Accra, Ghana.
BMC Complement Med Ther. 2025 Jun 9;25(1):212. doi: 10.1186/s12906-025-04961-4.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) the utilization of traditional medicine items exceeds that of conventional medications by two to three times on a global scale. Ghana's health system has seen numerous changes and revolutions since gaining political independence, but the nation still struggles to offer its rapidly expanding population an adequate, suitable, complete, and efficient healthcare system. This study assessed the role of traditional medicine in providing palliative care and improving the quality of life while focusing on patients' knowledge and utilization.
A hospital-based descriptive cross-sectional study design was employed for the study. The study population consisted of patients who were receiving traditional medical treatment for health conditions such as diabetes and hypertension in the Kumasi metropolitan area. A multi-stage sampling technique was deployed in the study of which 440 participants made up the total sample.
The findings of the study revealed that a substantial proportion of patients (81.04%) demonstrated a strong knowledge of traditional medicine within the context of palliative care. Awareness of traditional medicine was universal among participants (100%), with herbal medicine being the most commonly recognized form (97.39%). Additionally, nearly all participants (99.53%) acknowledged the potential role of traditional medicine in palliative care and affirmed its accessibility (98.82%).
Patients extensively used alternative medicine and showed strong contentment with its success, noting notable enhancements in their health. A lot of people suggest converting traditional medicine into modern dosage forms in order to improve health outcomes and quality of life.
根据世界卫生组织（WHO）的数据，在全球范围内，传统药物的使用量比传统药物高出两到三倍。自获得政治独立以来，加纳的卫生系统经历了许多变革和革命，但该国仍在努力为其迅速增长的人口提供一个充分、合适、完整和高效的医疗保健系统。本研究评估了传统医学在提供姑息治疗和改善生活质量方面的作用，同时关注患者的知识和使用情况。
本研究采用基于医院的描述性横断面研究设计。研究人群包括在库马西大都市区因糖尿病和高血压等健康状况接受传统医学治疗的患者。研究中采用了多阶段抽样技术，总样本由440名参与者组成。
研究结果显示，很大一部分患者（81.04%）在姑息治疗背景下对传统医学有很强的了解。参与者对传统医学的认知普遍（100%），其中草药是最常见的被认可形式（97.39%）。此外，几乎所有参与者（99.53%）都承认传统医学在姑息治疗中的潜在作用，并肯定其可及性（98.82%）。
患者广泛使用替代医学，并对其成效表现出强烈的满意，指出他们的健康有显著改善。许多人建议将传统医学转化为现代剂型，以改善健康结果和生活质量。
