Assessment of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Traditional Healers toward Dosage Forms and Routes of Administration: A Cross-Sectional Study in Ethiopia

Liknaw Workie Limenh; Derso Teju Geremew; Asmamaw Emagn Kasahun; Yeniewa Kerie Anagaw; Minichil Chanie Worku; Wudneh Simegn; Wondim Ayenew

doi:10.1155/2023/7091233

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Traditional Healers toward Dosage Forms and Routes of Administration: A Cross-Sectional Study in Ethiopia

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2023 Jun 27:2023:7091233. doi: 10.1155/2023/7091233. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Liknaw Workie Limenh¹, Derso Teju Geremew¹, Asmamaw Emagn Kasahun¹, Yeniewa Kerie Anagaw², Minichil Chanie Worku², Wudneh Simegn³, Wondim Ayenew³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
² Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
³ Department of Social and Administrative Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.

Abstract

Methods: A cross-sectional study design was conducted on 70 traditional healers from June 1, 2022 to July 25, 2022. The data were collected through structured questionnaires. The data were checked for completeness and consistency and then entered into SPSS version 25.0 for analysis. The results were presented with frequencies and percentages. The association between sociodemographic factors and traditional healers' knowledge of dosage forms and route of administration was determined using the Pearson's chi-squares test. A statistically significant difference was declared if the p value was 0.05 or lower.

Results: Most (58.1%) traditional healers had information on dosage forms, especially about solid, semisolid, and liquid dosage forms. In addition, 33 (53.2%) traditional healers had information about rectal, nasal, and oral route of administration. All traditional healers had practiced different dosage forms and route of administration both individually and in combination earlier to date. More than half of the participants agreed on the need for different dosage forms and route of administration. This study result also showed that most (72.6%) traditional healers had gaps in sharing experiences and information with other healers and health professionals.

Conclusions: The current study revealed that solid, semisolid, and liquid were the most frequently formulated dosage forms with oral, rectal, and nasal route of administration by traditional healers. The practice of checking the status of the formulations was poor. Traditional healers had a good attitude towards the need for different dosage forms and route of administration. The stakeholders should provide continuous training and exchange of experiences between traditional healers and healthcare professionals to improve the knowledge of traditional healers for appropriate use of dosage forms and route of administration.