ArticleAfrican journal of emergency medicine : Revue africaine de la medecine d'urgence2026
Integrating traditional healers into the emergency care continuum in Uganda: a missed opportunity?
Article in African journal of emergency medicine : Revue africaine de la medecine d'urgence, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Traditional healing systems remain central to healthcare delivery in many low- and middle-income countries, including Uganda, where they are deeply embedded within community health-seeking practices. At the same time, Uganda continues to face significant challenges in developing an effective and coordinated emergency care system, with delays in accessing timely care contributing to preventable morbidity and mortality. Traditional healers are frequently the first point of contact for patients, including those with acute and potentially life-threatening conditions. Despite their accessibility and influence, they remain largely excluded from formal emergency care planning. This paper explores the potential for integrating traditional healers into Uganda's emergency care continuum by repositioning them as Tier-1 emergency care actors within community-based response systems. We propose a structured, systems oriented model that emphasizes basic emergency training in danger-sign recognition, clearly defined referral pathways, bidirectional collaboration with biomedical providers, and integration within existing health system frameworks. The model highlights the importance of governance, certification, monitoring, and pilot implementation to ensure feasibility and accountability.However, integration carries important risks, including misdiagnosis, delayed referral, harmful practices, and regulatory challenges. To address these concerns, the proposed approach emphasizes a limited scope of practice focused on early recognition and referral, supported by safeguards such as standardized training, supervision, and policy oversight.This conceptual framework aims to inform future research, pilot programs, and policy discussions on strengthening emergency care systems in Uganda and similar settings. With careful implementation, integrating traditional healers into Tier-1 emergency care structures may reduce delays, improve referral systems, and enhance patient outcomes.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.