title: Engagement of Traditional Healers and Birth Attendants as a Controversial Proposal to Extend the HIV Health Workforce.
abstract: "Medical pluralism" is the use of multiple health systems and is common among people living with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. Healers and traditional birth attendants (TBAs) often are a patient's first and/or preferred line of treatment; this often results in delayed, interrupted, or abandoned diagnosis and therapy. Literature from the study of medical pluralism suggests that HIV care and treatment programs are infrequently and inconsistently engaging healers around the world. Mistrust and misunderstanding among patients, clinical providers, and traditional practitioners make the development of effective partnerships difficult, particularly regarding early HIV diagnosis and antiretroviral therapy. We provide recommendations for the development of successful collaboration health workforce efforts based on both published articles and case studies from our work in rural Mozambique.
authors: Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2525 West End Avenue, Suite 750, Nashville, TN, 37203-1738, USA, carolyn.m.audet@vanderbilt.edu.
authors: Carolyn M
authors: CM
authors: Audet
authors: Erin
authors: E
authors: Hamilton
authors: Leighann
authors: L
authors: Hughart
authors: Jose
authors: J
authors: Salato
mesh_terms: D017954:Africa South of the Sahara; D003150:Community Health Workers / Q000458:organization & administration*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000628:therapy* / Q000635:transmission; D006303:Health Services, Indigenous; D006280:Health Workforce / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008880:Midwifery