Brouwer J A, Boeree M J, Kager P, Varkevisser C M, Harries A D
Department of Medicine, Tropical Medicine and AIDS, A.M.C., Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 1998 Mar;2(3):231-4.
Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) and Blantyre district, Malawi.
To investigate the use that tuberculosis (TB) patients in Malawi make of traditional healers and traditional medicine.
A questionnaire study was carried out on 89 smear-positive pulmonary TB patients admitted to QECH. Seven traditional healers in Blantyre were also interviewed about their knowledge, attitudes and practice of patients whom they considered to have TB.
Of the 89 patients, 33 (37%) visited a traditional healer before seeking regular medical care. Patients spent a median length of 4 weeks with the traditional healer. During this time, 24 patients did not improve or deteriorated while on traditional treatment. No patient was referred to the medical services by the traditional healer. All traditional healers claimed to know about TB. Four said they would refer a patient to hospital if their treatment was not curative. In 1995, six traditional healers claimed to have cured 116 patients with TB.
It is important to involve traditional healers in the educational activities of the National TB Control Programme. These healers need to be taught to recognise and refer patients with TB, whom they should not treat, but at the same time be encouraged to administer safe treatments for conditions which are more amenable to their practice.
马拉维伊丽莎白女王中央医院（QECH）及布兰太尔地区。
调查马拉维结核病患者对传统治疗师和传统药物的使用情况。
对入住QECH的89例痰涂片阳性肺结核患者进行问卷调查研究。还对布兰太尔的7名传统治疗师进行了访谈，了解他们对其所认为的结核病患者的知识、态度和做法。
89例患者中，33例（37%）在寻求正规医疗护理之前拜访过传统治疗师。患者在传统治疗师处接受治疗的中位时长为4周。在此期间，24例患者在接受传统治疗时病情未改善或恶化。没有传统治疗师将患者转诊至医疗服务机构。所有传统治疗师均声称了解结核病。4人表示如果他们的治疗无效会将患者转诊至医院。1995年，6名传统治疗师声称治愈了116例结核病患者。
让传统治疗师参与国家结核病控制规划的教育活动很重要。需要教导这些治疗师识别并转诊不应由他们治疗的结核病患者，但同时应鼓励他们为更适合其治疗的病症提供安全的治疗。
