The effect of legislation on the treatment practices and role of naturopaths in South Africa
Abstract Background In South Africa naturopaths have been practising for over half a century. Over this period, changes in legislation have resulted in different levels of training and registration processes - which has impacted on the profession in various ways. This paper explores the effect of le...
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doaj-41e482465a994b5c9597f0a9c42878db2020-11-25T02:58:54ZengBMCBMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies2662-76712020-05-012011810.1186/s12906-020-02916-5The effect of legislation on the treatment practices and role of naturopaths in South AfricaWendy Ericksen-Pereira0Nicolette V. Roman1Rina Swart2Faculty of Community Health Sciences, University of the Western CapeFaculty of Community Health Sciences, University of the Western CapeFaculty of Community Health Sciences, University of the Western CapeAbstract Background In South Africa naturopaths have been practising for over half a century. Over this period, changes in legislation have resulted in different levels of training and registration processes - which has impacted on the profession in various ways. This paper explores the effect of legislation on the treatment practices and role of naturopaths in South Africa. Methods This was a qualitative study which used an exploratory approach. Participants were sampled from the list of naturopaths registered with the Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa (AHPCSA). A set of 15 open-ended survey questions were emailed to 59 naturopaths. Twenty one naturopaths participated: 13 responded via email and eight were interviewed. Responses were coded and thematically analysed. Results It was found that despite differences in training and years of practice experience, four core treatment practices of diet therapy, lifestyle medicine, supplementation and physical therapies were common to all participants with the older, more experienced naturopaths using a wider range of treatment practices. There is a shared common vision of wanting the profession to have greater participation in the public healthcare system. This research has found that legislation influences the treatment practices and role played by naturopaths in South Africa. The findings of this paper acknowledges the limiting impact of state legislation on naturopathic and other complementary medicine professions. Conclusion Naturopathy has to operate within the legislative framework and this appears to be one of the key factors which has contributed to the lack of growth of naturopathy in South Africa. Findings thus highlight the need for new legislation to reflect the changes in society to ensure that the emergent healthcare needs of the population are met.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12906-020-02916-5Complementary medicineRegulatory bodyScope of practiceTreatment practicesLegislation |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Wendy Ericksen-Pereira Nicolette V. Roman Rina Swart |
spellingShingle |
Wendy Ericksen-Pereira Nicolette V. Roman Rina Swart The effect of legislation on the treatment practices and role of naturopaths in South Africa BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies Complementary medicine Regulatory body Scope of practice Treatment practices Legislation |
author_facet |
Wendy Ericksen-Pereira Nicolette V. Roman Rina Swart |
author_sort |
Wendy Ericksen-Pereira |
title |
The effect of legislation on the treatment practices and role of naturopaths in South Africa |
title_short |
The effect of legislation on the treatment practices and role of naturopaths in South Africa |
title_full |
The effect of legislation on the treatment practices and role of naturopaths in South Africa |
title_fullStr |
The effect of legislation on the treatment practices and role of naturopaths in South Africa |
title_full_unstemmed |
The effect of legislation on the treatment practices and role of naturopaths in South Africa |
title_sort |
effect of legislation on the treatment practices and role of naturopaths in south africa |
publisher |
BMC |
series |
BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies |
issn |
2662-7671 |
publishDate |
2020-05-01 |
description |
Abstract Background In South Africa naturopaths have been practising for over half a century. Over this period, changes in legislation have resulted in different levels of training and registration processes - which has impacted on the profession in various ways. This paper explores the effect of legislation on the treatment practices and role of naturopaths in South Africa. Methods This was a qualitative study which used an exploratory approach. Participants were sampled from the list of naturopaths registered with the Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa (AHPCSA). A set of 15 open-ended survey questions were emailed to 59 naturopaths. Twenty one naturopaths participated: 13 responded via email and eight were interviewed. Responses were coded and thematically analysed. Results It was found that despite differences in training and years of practice experience, four core treatment practices of diet therapy, lifestyle medicine, supplementation and physical therapies were common to all participants with the older, more experienced naturopaths using a wider range of treatment practices. There is a shared common vision of wanting the profession to have greater participation in the public healthcare system. This research has found that legislation influences the treatment practices and role played by naturopaths in South Africa. The findings of this paper acknowledges the limiting impact of state legislation on naturopathic and other complementary medicine professions. Conclusion Naturopathy has to operate within the legislative framework and this appears to be one of the key factors which has contributed to the lack of growth of naturopathy in South Africa. Findings thus highlight the need for new legislation to reflect the changes in society to ensure that the emergent healthcare needs of the population are met. |
topic |
Complementary medicine Regulatory body Scope of practice Treatment practices Legislation |
url |
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12906-020-02916-5 |
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