Exploring patient referral practices of traditional healthcare practitioners in Soshanguve, Gauteng Province, South Africa.
Afr Health Sci
; 24(1): 262-268, 2024 Mar.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38962336
ABSTRACT
Introduction:
It may be necessary for healthcare professionals to refer patients to other professionals and institutions that are able to provide the care needed by patients, depending on the severity each case presents, healthcare requirements, and resources available to offer care. In healthcare generally, patient referral is standard procedure; however, in South Africa, referral patterns between allopathic and traditional healthcare practitioners are unknown, and this is a problem yet to be addressed.Objectives:
The study objective was to explore patient referral practices from the perspectives of traditional healthcare practitioners of South Africa.Methods:
A qualitative, exploratory and descriptive design was employed to collect data from 11 traditional healthcare practitioners who were sampled using snowball sampling. An individual semi structured interview schedule was used to collect data. Content analysis was used to analyze the data.Results:
Patient referral was common practice in traditional health practices, however not reciprocal between the traditional and allopathic healthcare. Several indications for patient referral to allopathic healthcare practitioners included management of chronic conditions amongst others.Discussion:
Patient referral being an important part of healthcare practices should be promoted and regulation and traditional health practices improved to promote safe referral practices and curb unsafe self-referrals by patients.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Encaminhamento e Consulta
/
Medicinas Tradicionais Africanas
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Pesquisa Qualitativa
Limite:
Adult
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Female
/
Humans
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Male
/
Middle aged
País/Região como assunto:
Africa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Afr Health Sci
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article