Health SA Gesondheid promotes communication, collaboration and teamwork between professions and disciplines within the health sciences to address problems that cross and affect disciplinary boundaries.

Curationis provides a forum for cutting-edge theories and research models related to the exploration of issues experienced and the best practices of nurses and midwives so as to improve nursing education, nursing administration and community nursing within Africa.

Introduction: Epilepsy is a neurological disorder which causes seizures and may be accompanied by loss of unconsciousness and control of bowel or bladder function. However, other types of epilepsy are only characterised by rapid blinking or a few seconds of staring into space. Many people living with epilepsy in rural communities consult traditional healers as their first line of treatment for epilepsy. Second preference is given to medical practitioners which causes unnecessary delay in the early diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy. This study aimed to explore how traditional healers diagnose epilepsy and its implications on management in the selected rural communities of Limpopo and Mpumalanga Provinces. Methods: A qualitative approach using explorative, descriptive and contextual designs was adopted. Purposive sampling was used to sample six villages in Limpopo and Mpumalanga Provinces. Snowball sampling was used to sample twenty traditional healers. Data were collected through in-depth individual interviews at the participant’s homes. Data were analysed using Tesch’s eight steps of open coding data analysis. Results: This study found that traditional healers have varied beliefs and misconceptions regarding the causes and diagnosis of epilepsy, hence this greatly influencing the management. The misconceptions on the causes include a calling by ancestors, urine contents, snake in the stomach, contaminated digestive system and witchcraft. The management included using herbal plants, insects, foam excreted during seizures and urine of the person living with epilepsy. Recommendation: It is recommended that for effective management of epilepsy, there should be coordination between traditional healing and western medicine. Future research should look at the integration of traditional medicine and western medicine.

The aim of the book is to assist both local and international scholars in articulating the scholarly discourse on indigenous health attitudes, practices, and experiences. The indigenous lens that was used to generate and disseminate indigenous knowledge in this book will strengthen indigenous scholarship, thus making it accessible to a wider audience. In addition, the information shared in this book will add value for scholars and assist them with the indigenous knowledge needed to address sustainable development goals. This book is timeous and topical as the discourse on the decolonisation of the curriculum is widely debated in the higher education space. The discourse on the scholarship of indigenous knowledge, as the tacit local knowledge that stems from cultural practices within communities, has not been well articulated in the current health science education milieu. Indigenous knowledge has remained overlooked and undermined for a very long time and the information remains untapped in local communities. The scholars who conducted the research on which this book is based unearthed a wealth of knowledge which was tacit in nature and translated it into implicit knowledge that can be documented and shared with other scholars globally. This knowledge will assist health care scholars in benefiting from knowledge, practices and cultural beliefs that will assist them in health care planning, teaching, evidence-based practice and further research.

Views of traditional healers on collaboration with health professionals when managing epilepsy in rural areas of Limpopo and Mpumalanga Provinces (South Africa)

Background: Family caregiving is common in African countries where the family plays a crucial role in caring and supporting a family member in need of care. Most older people who suffer from chronic diseases, including Diabetes Mellitus, stay at home where family members and relatives are responsible for their day-to-day care. Aim: The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of family caregivers of older people living with Diabetes Mellitus in a rural village in South Africa. Setting: This study was conducted in a village located in the Thulamela municipality of the Vhembe district, in the Limpopo province. Methods: A qualitative exploratory, descriptive research design was used. Purposive sampling was used, and data were collected using a semi-structured interview guide. Data saturation occurred after interviewing 17 participants and were analysed using thematic analysis. Trustworthiness was ensured through strategies of credibility, dependability, conformability, and transferability, and ethical principles were applied. Results: Three themes emerged: participants sacrificed time for work, time for self-care, and devised coping strategies. These findings revealed that family caregivers of older adults diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus sacrificed their time in order to provide care. However, the findings further revealed that family caregivers devised strategies to cope through prayer and acceptance. Conclusion: The study revealed several challenges experienced by family caregivers of older people living with Diabetes Mellitus. Contribution: The National Department of Health, together with the civil society would gain an in-depth understanding of the burden of Diabetes Mellitus in the family setting and develop strategies to improve the situation.