Herbal medicine use among hypertensive patients attending public and private health facilities in Freetown Sierra Leone

James, PB; Kamara, H; Bah, AJ; Steel, A; Wardle, J

Herbal medicine use among hypertensive patients attending public and private health facilities in Freetown Sierra Leone

James, PB

Kamara, H Bah, AJ Steel, A

Wardle, J

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 2018, 31 pp. 7 - 15
Issue Date:: 2018-05-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	James, PB https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6373-5704	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Kamara, H	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Bah, AJ	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Steel, A https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6643-9444	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Wardle, J https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8813-3542	en_US
dc.date.available	2018-01-03	en_US
dc.date.issued	2018-05-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 2018, 31 pp. 7 - 15	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	1744-3881	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/128678
dc.description.abstract	© 2018 Elsevier Ltd Objective This study aimed to determine the prevalence, determinants and pattern of herbal medicine use among hypertensive patients in Freetown. Methods and materials We conducted a cross-sectional study among hypertensive patients attending public and private health facilities in Freetown, Sierra Leone between August and October 2016. We analyzed the data using SPSS version 24. We used Chi-square, Fisher exact two-tailed test and regression analysis for data analysis. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Out of 260 study participants, over half (n = 148, 56.9%) reported using herbal medicine for the treatment of hypertension alone or together with comorbid condition(s). The most commonly used herbal medicine among users were honey (n = 89, 33.3%), moringa (n = 80, 30.0%) and garlic (n = 73, 27.3%). No significant difference existed between users and non-users of herbal medicine with regards to socio-demographic and health-related factors. The majority (n = 241, 92.7%) of respondents considered herbal medicine beneficial if it was recommended by a healthcare provider yet 85.1% (n = 126) did not disclose their herbal medicine use to their health care provider. Conclusion There is a high use of herbal medicines among hypertensive patients in Freetown, Sierra Leone. It is essential for healthcare providers to take heed of the findings of this study and routinely ask their patients about their herbal medicine use status. Such practice will provide the opportunity to discuss the benefits and risks of herbal medicine use with the aim of maximizing patient desired therapeutic outcomes.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1016/j.ctcp.2018.01.001	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Complementary & Alternative Medicine	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Humans	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Hypertension	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Plant Preparations	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Phytotherapy	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Cross-Sectional Studies	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Health Facilities	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Sierra Leone	en_US
dc.title	Herbal medicine use among hypertensive patients attending public and private health facilities in Freetown Sierra Leone	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	31	en_US
utslib.for	1104 Complementary and Alternative Medicine	en_US
utslib.for	1110 Nursing	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health/Public Health
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - CHSP - Health Services and Practice
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	31	en_US

Abstract:

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd Objective This study aimed to determine the prevalence, determinants and pattern of herbal medicine use among hypertensive patients in Freetown. Methods and materials We conducted a cross-sectional study among hypertensive patients attending public and private health facilities in Freetown, Sierra Leone between August and October 2016. We analyzed the data using SPSS version 24. We used Chi-square, Fisher exact two-tailed test and regression analysis for data analysis. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Out of 260 study participants, over half (n = 148, 56.9%) reported using herbal medicine for the treatment of hypertension alone or together with comorbid condition(s). The most commonly used herbal medicine among users were honey (n = 89, 33.3%), moringa (n = 80, 30.0%) and garlic (n = 73, 27.3%). No significant difference existed between users and non-users of herbal medicine with regards to socio-demographic and health-related factors. The majority (n = 241, 92.7%) of respondents considered herbal medicine beneficial if it was recommended by a healthcare provider yet 85.1% (n = 126) did not disclose their herbal medicine use to their health care provider. Conclusion There is a high use of herbal medicines among hypertensive patients in Freetown, Sierra Leone. It is essential for healthcare providers to take heed of the findings of this study and routinely ask their patients about their herbal medicine use status. Such practice will provide the opportunity to discuss the benefits and risks of herbal medicine use with the aim of maximizing patient desired therapeutic outcomes.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/128678