ABSTRACT
Objective:
Culture is the way of
life of a people; and is an integral component of their day-to-day existence. It influences the daily routine of a people, including their
diet,
dressing, religious disposition, and surprisingly, the degree to which orthodox medical practices impact their daily lives. Appreciating underlying cultural context
will help
health care workers influence
patient's
perceptions, especially where cultural practices are not in tandem with medical
best practices. This is important, for example, in
administration of
informed consent for
surgery. This study explored cultural
beliefs of
patients in relation to some common maxillofacial practices in Kano,
Nigeria.
Methods:
Patient's
perceptions on oral cancers, use of nasogastric tubes, and
tooth extraction was conducted amongst
patients attending maxillofacial
outpatient clinic of a tertiary Nigerian
hospital from January to December 2015 using a non-structured,
interviewer-administered
questionnaire.
Results:
Seventy-seven (77)
patients were surveyed (52
males and 25
females), with ages ranging from 16 to 75 years. Most were
aged 51-60 years (44.2%). Only 6.5% of
respondents had higher than
secondary education. Responses to the aetiology and
treatment of oral cancers, use of nasogastric tubes for
maxillofacial surgery patients and extraction of
teeth showed cultural
perceptions usually at variance with medical
best practices.
Conclusion:
Patients'
expectations and
fears of
maxillofacial surgery procedures are affected by their cultural
beliefs. Proper acceptance of this, combined with targeted
education and counselling may enhance
patient's co-operation and acceptance of necessary
surgical procedures when orthodox
medical care is sought