نبذة مختصرة : Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disease. In 2018, in Southeast Asia, epilepsy is still surrounded by negative beliefs related to the socio-cultural context. In the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), traditional practices are deeply rooted in perceptions and beliefs about health and disease. Traditional medicine is used for chronic and acute diseases, such as epilepsy. This doctoral work has been described as public health research aimed at understanding the therapeutic pathways of patients living with epilepsy (PWE) in Lao PDR. Our research was conducted with three groups of people (PWE, entourage and caregivers) through cross-sectional observational research. This work thus consists of 3 studies : (i) Non- adherence of PWE to community care: this study showed that the main factors are unavailability or difficulty in accessing antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), income level, and prescribed medication in the place of consultation far from where they live. (ii) Concerning the influence of the entourage of PWE (family, village headman, and community health worker) on their therapeutic decisions: two forms of influence are distinguished (family vs. village community), while traditional medicine was considered as a complement to conventional medicine. (iii) Finally, an exploratory study with caregivers (conventional and traditional doctors) showed that traditional doctors were aware of the effectiveness of conventional medicine and systematically recommended it to PWE, while the opposite was much rarer. In conclusion, improving the availability of medicines in the country and at community level, the implementation of information, education, and communication (IEC) campaigns, as well as collaboration between conventional and traditional medicine, has enabled us to describe and schematize the therapeutic pathway of PWE in Lao PDR, in order to elaborate an appropriate intervention. ; L’épilepsie est une maladie neurologique chronique fréquente. En 2018, en Asie du Sud-Est, l'épilepsie est toujours entourée ...
Processing Request
No Comments.