Attitudes of health care professionals in South Africa to the use of traditional medicine by their patients on antiretroviral treatment: A research note

This research note explores the attitudes and approaches of health care professionals working in antiretroviral (ARV) roll out sites in South Africa to patients taking traditional medicine. It shows that health professionals are concerned about the possibility of traditional healers undermining an ARV roll out programme through providing untested substances that could interact adversely with ARV drugs. Furthermore, traditional healers could even discourage patients from adhering to their ARV regimens. The research note also explores the opinion of the health workers towards possible collaboration between medical professionals and traditional healers. Many health care professionals were willing to collaborate with traditional healers but on their (the health care professionals) own terrain. Health care professionals would prefer to be solely in charge of the drug regimen with trained traditional healers supporting such a biomedical intervention. They would prefer traditional healers to concentrate solely on spiritual treatments as rituals.