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

Abstract

Background and Objectives. Traditional healers are an integral part of healthcare systems in many countries, including Ethiopia, where traditional medicine is widely practiced. They often employ unique medicinal preparation and route of administration that may differ from modern practices. However, there is a paucity of data on dosage forms and route of administration practice by traditional healers in Ethiopia. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of traditional healers towards different dosage forms and route of administration. 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.