Concurrent use of herbal and prescribed medicine by patients in primary health care clinics, South Africa

Abstract

Background The use of herbal medicine (HM) as a self-management practice for treating various diseases has gained popularity worldwide. Consumers co-administer herbal products with conventional medicine without the knowledge of possible herb-drug interaction (HDI). Aim This study aimed to assess patients’ perception and use of HM and their knowledge of HDI. Setting Participants attending primary health care (PHC) clinics in three provinces (Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Free State), South Africa, were recruited. Methods Focus group discussions comprising a total of thirty ( N = 30) participants were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide. Discussions were audio-recorded and then transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis. Results Reasons for using HM, sources of information on HM, co-administration of HM and prescribed medicine, disclosure of the use of HM, PHC nurses’ attitudes and not having time to engage were frequently discussed. Respondents’ lack of knowledge and perceptions about HDI and their dissatisfaction with prescribed medicine because of experienced side effects were also discussed. Conclusion Because of the lack of discussions and non-disclosure about HM in PHC clinics, patients are at risk of experiencing HDIs. Primary health care providers should regularly enquire about HM use on every patient, to identify and prevent HDIs. The lack of knowledge about HDIs by patients further compromises the safety of HM. Contribution The results highlighted the lack of knowledge of HDI by patients thus assisting the healthcare stakeholders in South Africa to implement measures to educate patients attending PHC clinics.

Receptivity of referral letters and partner notification practices for sexually transmitted infections among a population of men who have sex with men in South Africa: A qualitative study

“…This may be due to the few health care providers having to deal with a large volume of patients in a short time. Other studies report similarly [29][30][31][32]. Some of the reasons given for the unacceptable quality of services were that nurses experience a high patient load, staff absenteeism, and burnout [33].…”