The Roles of Thai Traditional Medicine Practitioners in the Perspectives of Multidisciplinary Teams and Thai Traditional Medicine Practitioners: A Case Study of Community Hospitals in Phitsanulok Province
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Abstract
This descriptive research aimed to explore the roles of Thai Traditional Medicine (TTM) practitioners according to the perspectives of multidisciplinary teams and TTM practitioners who are working in community hospitals in Phitsanulok province. The study respondents included 68 members of multidisciplinary teams and 12 TTM practitioners. An online questionnaire was used to collect data on the perspectives towards the roles of TTM practitioners and collaboration between TTM practitioners and the multidisciplinary teams. Descriptive statistics were used in data analysis. The results showed that, in the perspectives of the multidisciplinary teams, TTM practitioners played the most prominent role in providing Thai massage, herbal steam bath, and herbal compress, but played the least active role in providing TTM services in the parallel outpatient clinic. In contrast, TTM practitioners indicated that their most practical role was in the parallel outpatient clinic and the least practical role was providing TTM together with alternative medicine. Regarding collaborative efforts, the multidisciplinary teams revealed that patient referrals to modern physicians were most of the collaborative actions, while the TTM practitioners indicated that they mostly collaborated with the multidisciplinary teams in providing postpartum care. The perspectives of the multidisciplinary teams and the TTM practitioners towards the roles of TTM practitioners in providing TTM services were not consistent. Therefore, TTM practitioners should play their role according to the TTM philosophy and knowledge in order to raise the awareness and acceptance among members of the multidisciplinary teams.
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