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. 2019 Oct 21;14(10):e0223853.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0223853. eCollection 2019.

Facilitators and barriers to traditional medicine use among cancer patients in Malawi

Jacob Hill  1 , Ryan Seguin  2 , Twambilile Phanga  2 , Agness Manda  2 , Maria Chikasema  2 , Satish Gopal  1   2   3 , Jennifer S Smith  1
Affiliations

Facilitators and barriers to traditional medicine use among cancer patients in Malawi

Jacob Hill et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Background: Increasing access to conventional cancer treatment (CT) in low-income countries (LICs) is an important public health initiative to address the global burden of cancer. However, LICs have a high prevalence of use of traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM). It is important to consider the factors that influence a patient's choice to use T&CM, CT, or both for their cancer treatment.

Methods: We conducted focus groups among adult cancer patients in Lilongwe, Malawi to identify facilitators and barriers of T&CM use. Focus groups were recorded, transcribed, translated, and underwent thematic content analysis.

Results: Cultural norms, T&CM access, T&CM success, and CT failure were all identified as facilitators to T&CM use. CT success and T&CM failure were identified as barriers. Access and norms appear to determine initial treatment selection, while treatment outcomes dictate continued use of T&CM or CT.

Conclusion: This study identified a pragmatic and experience-based treatment selection process that aligns with the social cognitive theory of behavior and assists in comprehending the factors that influence T&CM use among cancer patients in a low resource setting.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Proposed framework for facilitators and barriers to traditional and complementary medicine use among cancer patients in Malawi.
Norms = Cultural Norms T&CM = Traditional and Complementary Medicine CT = Conventional Treatment.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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