Experience of Health professionals in the implementation of Clinical trials of Traditional Herbal Medicines: A cross-sectional study in Mali

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the experience of health professionals in clinical trials of traditional herbal medicines in Mali. Material and methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted from June to December 2022 among healthcare professionals in three randomly selected localities: the district of Bamako and the regions of Koulikoro and Sikasso. Data were collected by direct interview using an anonymous questionnaire. The Chi-square (χ2) test was used to assess factors associated with participation in clinical trials of traditional medicines. Results: The involvement of healthcare professionals in clinical trials of traditional medicines was low (3.5%) and was associated with age (p=0.021). The obstacles to conducting these trials reported by healthcare professionals were lack of funding and failure to take account of the specificities of traditional medicines in clinical trial regulations. Some healthcare professionals suggest ethnomedical evaluation of recipes proposed by traditional practitioners and the use of reverse pharmacology as alternatives. Conclusion: Research into traditional medicines could be given greater impetus by the long-term funding of clinical trials and by less costly alternatives such as the ethnomedical evaluation of recipes proposed by traditional healers and reverse pharmacology.