Understanding the complexity of cutaneous leishmaniasis patient journey in endemic rural Sri Lanka: a qualitative study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The experiences of patients and healthcare providers are fundamental in understanding the patient journey, particularly in the context of neglected diseases affecting rural populations. These insights are crucially important for advancing people-centred, high-quality healthcare and achieving improved health outcomes. Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) causes chronic, disfiguring skin lesions leading to a significant burden on the affected communities and the health systems. Our study aims to examine the experiences of people with CL after entering the biomedical healthcare system. We also integrate these findings with our previous work to map the entire CL patient journey in a disease-endemic district in Sri Lanka.

Methods

We conducted a qualitative study in three rural

SUBMITTER: Gunasekara SD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12574255 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature