Knowlege, Attitudes and Perceptions of Traditional Healers on Cancer: A Pilot Survey

PURPOSE To assess traditional medical practitioners (TMP) conception of cancer and assess their understanding of cancer causes, symptoms, screening, diagnosis and treatment as well as their stance on collaborations between western and traditional medicine as part of the overall healthcare system. METHODS The qualitative survey was designed to identify knowledge levels, attitudes perceptions of TMPs in Manicaland province in Zimbabwe towards cancer. A workshop was organized and a questionnaire was given as pretest and post test to the participants. In depth interviews and focus group discussions were carried out, transcribed and thematically analysed. Emerging themes related to cancer causes, symptoms, screening, diagnosis and treatment modalities and their comparative effectiveness and the need for collaboration. RESULTS There was total of 135 participants with 58,5% being males. The age range was 17 to 60 years. 90% could not describe cancer but alluded to its causes and recurring theme was spiritual attack. None had knowledge on cancer screening and diagnosis and only one stated that he can diagnose cancer spiritually while the rest agreed to using diagnosis from western medicine. There was no uniform opinion on treatment effectiveness and there was a general consensus that collaboration between western and traditional medicine is important for improved cancer care. CONCLUSION A clear knowledge gap exists and there is need for health education and awareness of TMP. The survey revealed that they want to learn more about cancer and collaborate with western medicine. Traditional medicine should therefore be formally recognized as a component of the national health system in order to control cancer care and improve the quality of service across the continuum of cancer care.