'The medicine is not for sale': Practices of traditional healers in snakebite envenoming in Ghana.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Snakebite envenoming is a medical emergency which is common in many tropical lower- and middle-income countries. Traditional healers are frequently consulted as primary care-givers for snakebite victims in distress. Traditional healers therefore present a valuable source of information about how snakebite is perceived and handled at the community level, an understanding of which is critical to improve and extend snakebite-related healthcare.

Method

The study was approached from the interpretive paradigm with phenomenology as a methodology. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 traditional healers who treat snakebite patients in two rural settings in Ghana. From the Ashanti and Upper West regions respectively, 11 and 8 healers were purposively sampled.

SUBMITTER: Steinhorst J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8081335 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature