Premium
Assessing the Potential Role of Indian Homeopathic Practitioners in HIV Education and Prevention
Author(s) -
George Sheba,
Nyamathi Adey,
Lowe Ann,
Singh Vijay,
Khurana Anil,
Taneja Divya
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
world medical and health policy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.326
H-Index - 11
ISSN - 1948-4682
DOI - 10.2202/1948-4682.1040
Subject(s) - taboo , homeopathy , ignorance , alternative medicine , medicine , stigma (botany) , focus group , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , traditional medicine , conversation , social stigma , medical education , family medicine , nursing , psychology , sociology , psychiatry , political science , law , communication , pathology , anthropology
Based on eight focus group interviews with homeopathic practitioners in New Delhi and Pune, India, this study describes current HIV education/prevention practices of Indian homeopathic practitioners and qualitatively assesses the barriers and facilitators to integrating HIV prevention/education into homeopathic practice. We found that HIV/AIDS is in fact a subject of conversation and clinical evaluation in Indian homeopathic settings; yet practitioners are not well‐equipped to address this need. Our findings highlight the critical importance of (1) increasing theoretical and practical HIV knowledge and educational resources among practitioners, (2) integrating the unique features of homeopathy into the allopathic foundations of HIV education/prevention efforts, (3) addressing societal factors such as widespread stigma, fear, and ignorance among both patients and practitioners, and (4) addressing the challenges of dealing with socially sensitive and taboo topics such as sexuality through focused communication training. Education for Indian homeopaths may contribute to better prevention of HIV in India.