Patients experience of their first homeopathic consultation at Cato Ridge homeopathic community health centre, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Abstract

Cato Ridge Homoeopathic Community Health Centre (CRHCHC) is situated at Cato Ridge, under the uMgungundlovu District-Mkhambathini municipality (Mkhizwana village). It is a multidisciplinary health care center consisting of specialties from the Durban University of Technology-Faculty of Health Sciences, namely: Nursing, Chiropractic, and Homoeopathy. These specialties provide comprehensive primary health care services which include screening tests for HIV, Diabetes, and Pregnancy, etc. They also offer referral letters to clinics/hospitals for all conditions beyond their scope of practice, management of minor/acute conditions, prescription of chronic medication, comprehensive homoeopathy and chiropractic treatment as well as patient management. The centre operates only on Wednesdays from 9h00 to 15h00 . CRHCHC was established in 2016 by Durban University of Technology (DUT), to help the Mkhizwana village community with a nearby community health centre where they will receive medical attention. This community centre is unique in that it is in a rural area and there are no nearby healthcare facilities. The closest healthcare facility is RK Khan, located 60 Km away from Mkhizwana village. Since this centre was recently opened, a survey on patient experience is important to assess the centre from the community’s perspective. Aim of the study The study aimed to determine the experiences of patients after their first Homoeopathic consultation and their satisfaction with service delivery at CRHCHC. Methodology A quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study design was used to guide the study. 100 consenting patients were selected randomly and given a questionnaire. The Data was analysed using Microsoft office Excel 2019 and SPSS version 25 software. Results The result showed a high degree of satisfaction on homoeopathic consultation. The majority of the participants were satisfied with the homoeopathic consultation which includes medication, information and advice, length of consultation, love and care shown by the homoeopathy students. Furthermore, the majority of the participants were satisfied with the manner in which the homoeopathic students conduct themselves as well as their professionalism. However, the majority of the participants highlighted that there is a need for a proper clinic and for the centre to operate every day rather than just one day a week.