Vol. 2012 No. 1 (2012)
Female Patients' Compliance with Traditional Medicine in Treating Hepatitis C in Kigali, Rwanda: An Ethnomusicological Perspective on Treatment Reliability and Relying Practices
Abstract
Traditional medicine is widely used in treating Hepatitis C (HCV) among female patients in Kigali, Rwanda, alongside conventional medical treatments. The study employs a qualitative approach to analyse interviews with female patients who receive both traditional and conventional treatments for HCV. Female patients show a significant preference (p < .05) for traditional medicine over conventional medical interventions when treating their HCV, indicating a reliance on traditional remedies despite potential treatment efficacy uncertainty. The findings suggest that integrating traditional medicine into standard care protocols may improve patient compliance and satisfaction with HCV treatments in Kigali. Healthcare providers should consider the cultural significance of traditional medicine in their clinical practices, potentially by offering more information on both forms of treatment to enhance informed decision-making among patients. Treatment effect was estimated with $\text{logit}(p_i)=\beta_0+\beta^\top X_i$, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.
Read the Full Article
The HTML galley is loaded below for inline reading and better discovery.