Published June 30, 2026 | Version CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0
Journal article Open

Prevalence of Herbal Medicine Use Among Hypertensive Patients Attending a District Hospital in Ghana

Authors/Creators

  • 1. Department of Pharmacy, Kwahu Government Hospital, Kwahu Atibie, Kwahu Atibie (Eastern Region), Ghana.

Contributors

Contact person:

  • 1. Department of Pharmacy, Kwahu Government Hospital, Kwahu Atibie, Kwahu Atibie (Eastern Region), Ghana.
  • 2. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Ghana, College of Health Sciences, Accra (Greater Accra), Ghana.

Description

Abstract: Background: Hypertension cases continue to increase both in numbers and their impact upon the quality of life of the affected individuals. A major hindrance to achieving blood pressure control in hypertension is non-adherence to medication. A key factor for poor adherence is the lack of confidence in therapy, and this is expressed sometimes through self-medication with herbal medicines and over-the-counter medicines. The study assessed the prevalence of herbal medicine use among hypertensive patients accessing care at the Outpatient Department of Asamankese Government Hospital. Methods: The study design is a cross-sectional descriptive study. The study was conducted in the outpatient department of Asamankese Government Hospital in the West Akim Municipality of the Eastern Region of Ghana. Participants recruited for the study were hypertensive patients aged 18 years or older who attended the study facility during the study period and provided informed consent. Participants were systematically recruited from all hypertensive patients visiting the Outpatients Department of the study facility by selecting every third patient who came to the pharmacy to take their medications. Results: A very high proportion of participants (90.1%) had at some point used herbal medicine for a health condition. A significant proportion (41.3%) of the participants were found still using herbal products at the time of this study. Most participants (85.1%) who used herbal medicine did so because they were seeking a cure. A very high proportion (86%) had not disclosed their use of herbal medicine to their healthcare providers. Conclusion: The prevalence of herbal medicine use among hypertensive patients receiving care from the outpatient department of the facility was found to be high, with the reason for use being a search for a cure. Herbal medicine use largely remained undisclosed to healthcare providers.

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Additional details

Identifiers

DOI
10.54105/ijapsr.D4115.06040626
EISSN
2582-7618

Dates

Accepted
2026-06-15
Manuscript received on 01 June 2026 | Revised Manuscript received on 07 June 2026 | Manuscript Accepted on 15 June 2026 | Manuscript published on 30 June 2026.

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