Tshidilo: a step towards understanding spine care in Botswana

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorAuerbach-Jahajeeah, Jessica
dc.contributor.authorChihambakwe, Mufudzi
dc.date.accessioned2025-11-04T06:44:58Z
dc.date.available2025-11-04T06:44:58Z
dc.date.issued2025
dc.date.updated2025-11-04T06:28:58Z
dc.description.abstractThis study sought to understand spine care in Botswana by focusing on the experiences of patients in a lower income neighbourhood community clinic in the capital, Gaborone, and the network of health care professionals in the city who manage patients with spinal related disorders. Spinal related disorders (SRDs) are the leading cause of disability worldwide and disproportionately affect people of lower socioeconomic status. It is known that there is low emphasis on the care for SRDs in the training and in practice of health care professionals. Hence the focus of this study was to uncover the structural and societal barriers to the provision of adequate care for SRDs in underserved communities in Botswana The sample included 39 interlocutors made up of patients, health care professionals (HCPs), health administrators and a linguist. Twenty-five of the interlocutors were part of five focus groups of five participants each (3 focus groups of patients only, two focus groups of health care professionals only). Of these focus groups there were three follow-up interviews. Thereafter there were 14 standalone semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was employed to mine the data using NVIVO software. The interlocutors highlighted how the health care system in Botswana is more primed to address life threatening, high risk infectious diseases than it is to address non-lethal lifestyle related conditions such as SRDs, despite their ubiquity. Furthermore, health care professionals felt that a policy on musculoskeletal health that encompasses SRDs would lead to clinical guidelines and resources to empower health care professionals to provide adequate care for SRDs. Tshidilo, understood as ‘massage', has been a practice in Botswana for the management of SRDs and this has implications for the way modern spine care is given and received for SRDs in Botswana. The word tshidilo has many more applications and can be used as a principle and approach for how to better understand and manage SRDs in Botswana and beyond. Future research can explore tshidilo and other indigenous health care approaches as an indigenous knowledge study to complement modern health care approaches to health care conditions.
dc.identifier.apacitationChihambakwe, M. (2025). <i>Tshidilo: a step towards understanding spine care in Botswana</i>. (). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Commerce ,Graduate School of Business (GSB). Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42096en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationChihambakwe, Mufudzi. <i>"Tshidilo: a step towards understanding spine care in Botswana."</i> ., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Commerce ,Graduate School of Business (GSB), 2025. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42096en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationChihambakwe, M. 2025. Tshidilo: a step towards understanding spine care in Botswana. . University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Commerce ,Graduate School of Business (GSB). http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42096en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Chihambakwe, Mufudzi AB - This study sought to understand spine care in Botswana by focusing on the experiences of patients in a lower income neighbourhood community clinic in the capital, Gaborone, and the network of health care professionals in the city who manage patients with spinal related disorders. Spinal related disorders (SRDs) are the leading cause of disability worldwide and disproportionately affect people of lower socioeconomic status. It is known that there is low emphasis on the care for SRDs in the training and in practice of health care professionals. Hence the focus of this study was to uncover the structural and societal barriers to the provision of adequate care for SRDs in underserved communities in Botswana The sample included 39 interlocutors made up of patients, health care professionals (HCPs), health administrators and a linguist. Twenty-five of the interlocutors were part of five focus groups of five participants each (3 focus groups of patients only, two focus groups of health care professionals only). Of these focus groups there were three follow-up interviews. Thereafter there were 14 standalone semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was employed to mine the data using NVIVO software. The interlocutors highlighted how the health care system in Botswana is more primed to address life threatening, high risk infectious diseases than it is to address non-lethal lifestyle related conditions such as SRDs, despite their ubiquity. Furthermore, health care professionals felt that a policy on musculoskeletal health that encompasses SRDs would lead to clinical guidelines and resources to empower health care professionals to provide adequate care for SRDs. Tshidilo, understood as ‘massage', has been a practice in Botswana for the management of SRDs and this has implications for the way modern spine care is given and received for SRDs in Botswana. The word tshidilo has many more applications and can be used as a principle and approach for how to better understand and manage SRDs in Botswana and beyond. Future research can explore tshidilo and other indigenous health care approaches as an indigenous knowledge study to complement modern health care approaches to health care conditions. DA - 2025 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town KW - Inclusive innovation KW - spine care KW - health care systems KW - musculoskeletal health policy KW - Botswana. LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2025 T1 - Tshidilo: a step towards understanding spine care in Botswana TI - Tshidilo: a step towards understanding spine care in Botswana UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42096 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/42096
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationChihambakwe M. Tshidilo: a step towards understanding spine care in Botswana. []. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Commerce ,Graduate School of Business (GSB), 2025 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42096en_ZA
dc.language.isoen
dc.language.rfc3066eng
dc.publisher.departmentGraduate School of Business (GSB)
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Commerce
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subjectInclusive innovation
dc.subjectspine care
dc.subjecthealth care systems
dc.subjectmusculoskeletal health policy
dc.subjectBotswana.
dc.titleTshidilo: a step towards understanding spine care in Botswana
dc.typeThesis / Dissertation
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationlevelMPhil
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
thesis_com_2025_chihambakwe mufudzi.pdf
Size:
5.39 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.72 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download
Collections
Masters