The aim of the study was to explore healthcare-seeking behaviour, including use of complementary alternative medicine (CAM) and traditional healers, in Ugandans diagnosed with DM. Further, to study whether gender influenced healthcare-seeking behaviour. A descriptive study with a snowball sample from a community in Uganda was implemented. Semi-structured interviews were held with 16 women and 8 men, aged 25-70. Data were analysed by qualitative content analysis. The results showed that healthcare was mainly sought among doctors and nurses in the professional sector because of severe symptoms related to DM and/or glycaemic control. Females more often focused on follow-up of DM and chronic pain in joints, while males described fewer problems. Among those who felt that healthcare had failed, most had turned to traditional healers in the folk sector for prescription of herbs or food supplements, more so in women than men. Males more often turned to private for-profit clinics while females more often used free governmental institutions. In conclusion, healthcare was mainly sought from nurses and physicians in the professional sector and females used more free-of-charge governmental institutions. Perceived failure in health care to manage DM or related complications led many, particularly women, to seek alternative treatment from CAM practitioners in the folk sector. Living conditions, including healthcare organisation and gender, seemed to influence healthcare seeking, but further studies are needed.

Introduction: Health-care seeking behaviour is important as it determines acceptance of health care and outcomes of chronic conditions but it has been investigated to a limited extent among persons with diabetes in developing countries. The aim of the study was to explore health-care seeking behaviour among persons with type 2 diabetes to understand reasons for using therapies offered by traditional healers.

Methods: Descriptive study using focus-group interviews. Three purposive focus-groups were conducted in 2011 of 10 women and 7 men aged 39–72 years in Uganda. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and qualitatively analysed according to a method described for focus-groups.

Results: Reasons for seeking help from traditional healers were symptoms related to diabetes such as polydipsia, fatigue and decreased sensitivity in lower limbs. Failure of effect from western medicine was also reported. Treatment was described to be unknown extracts, of locally made products taken as herbs or food, and participants had sought help from different health facilities with the help of relatives and friends.

Conclusion: The pattern of seeking care was inconsistent, with a switch between different health care providers under the influence of the popular and folk sectors. Despite beliefs in using different healthcare providers seeking complementary and alternative medicine, participants still experienced many physical health problems related to diabetes complications. Health professionals need to be aware of the risk of switches between different health care providers, and develop strategies to initiate health promotion interventions to include in the care actors of significance to the patient from the popular, folk and professional sectors, to maintain continuity of effective diabetes care. © Katarina Hjelm et al.

Background Healthcare-seeking behaviour has been investigated to a limited extent in persons with diabetes, and the way traditional healers manage diabetes still needs exploration. Aim To explore healthcare-seeking behaviour and management of type 2 diabetes from the perspective of traditional healers in the folk sector to understand how traditional medicine is integrated into the professional health sector. Design A qualitative descriptive study. Method A purposeful sample of 16 traditional healers known in the area. Data were collected by individual semi-structured interviews. Findings Healthcare was sought from the professional health sector, mainly from the public hospitals, before the patients switched to the traditional healers. Reasons for seeking help from traditional healers were mainly chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and the perceived failure of western medicine to manage diabetes. The cost at the healers’ facilities also influenced healthcare seeking because it was perceived to be affordable as it was negotiable and accessible because it was always available. Traditional medicine therapies of patients with diabetes were herbal medicine, nutritional products and counselling, but many patients whose conditions were difficult to manage were told to return to the public hospitals in the professional health sector. Conclusion Healthcare seeking was inconsistent in character, with a switch between different healthcare providers. Living conditions including treatment costs, healthcare organization, patients’ health beliefs and general condition seemed to influence healthcare seeking practice. © 2016 The Authors

Introduction: Healthcare-seeking behaviour among persons with diabetes has been investigated to a limited extent, and not from professionals' perspective. The aim of the study was to describe healthcare professionals' knowledge, attitudes and practice concerning healthcare-seeking behaviour and the use of complementary and alternative medicine among persons with diabetes. Methods: A cross-sectional, self-administered questionnaire was conducted in western Uganda. Nurses, midwives or nurse assistants 72.2%, physicians 12% and clinical officers 10% volunteered to participate in the study with a total 108 (93% response rate) response rate. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse data with frequencies, percentages and summarized in tables. Results: Most of the healthcare providers perceived more uneducated people to be at risk of developing complications related to diabetes (66.7%) and that most of the patients with diabetes were not knowledgeable about signs and symptoms of diabetes before being diagnosed (75.9%). The main reasons inducing persons with diabetes to seek care outside the health care sector were reported to be seeking a cure for the condition, influence from the popular sector, the accessibility of the place and signs of complications of diabetes related to poor glycaemic control. Healthcare providers had relatively positive attitudes towards using complementary and alternative medicine. Conclusion: Insufficient knowledge about diabetes, compromised healthcare-seeking practices including drug procurement for diabetes seem to be barriers to diabetes management. Patients were thus reported to be burdened with co-morbidities of complications of diabetes related to poor glycaemic control.