THE PERCEPTION OF THE STAFF OF THE UNIVERSITY OF JOS ON PHYTO MEDCINE AS A TREATMENT OPTION IN HEALTH CARE DELIVERY SYSTEM

Abstract

People from different cultural backgrounds have used different forms of Traditional Medicine as a means to managing their ailments.  This study aimed to assess the perception of people on phytomedicine as a treatment option in health care delivery in University of Jos, Plateau state. This study was motivated by the increasing use of the phytomedicine in health care delivery in University of Jos, Plateau state as an alternative medicine to modern medicine state. The theory adopted for this study was Health Belief Theory (HBT). The methodology adopted by this study was a survey research design. The major finding of this study was that the use of phytomedicine has been on the increase in areas of health care delivery in University of Jos and elsewhere. Results in this study also revealed that primary care physicians rarely initiate conversations with patients about the use of phytomedicine and patients also were found to be reluctant to reveal their usage due to the perception that the physician is not knowledgeable of these practices or will disapprove of alternative treatment. In conclusion, this study concludes that the level of the level of perception and usage of phytomedicine in health care delivery among the staff of the University of Jos are on the increase, providing valuable insights for policymakers, researchers, and healthcare professionals. The study recommends that there should be an increase in public awareness about instructions and restrictions when using phytomedicine and the Ministry of Health should find a way to get all phytomedicine practitioners on board so that workshops and intermittent training can be organized for health practitioners to upgrade their knowledge on the use of phytomedicine.