Knowledge Management Approach For Indigenous Knowledge Of Traditional Healthcare Practices: The Case Of Horro Guduru Wollega Zone, Ethiopia

Abstract

In digenous Knowledge is an integral part of human culture which is transmitted orally throughout generations; in that, it plays an important role in the life of its developers by integrating the spiritual, social, economic and political aspects within a culture for a complete livelihood. Over the years, healthcare practitioners predominantly in developing countries have considered healthcare activities and achieved healthy by using their IK. Despite its potential for healthcare, IK is rapidly disappearing due to factors such as poor knowledge sharing habit, orally transfer of IK from one to the other; thus, the solution is managing by using KM approach. This study aimed to investigate the extent to which KM approaches can be used to manage IK of traditional healthcare practices in local communities of Horro Guduru Wo llega zone. This study used descriptive research design through qualitative research method to collect reliable data about perception of disease and its main cause, the types of IK of traditional healthcare practices, the status of sharing and acquiring IK, indigenous selfmedication and required from traditional healthcare practitioners and the barriers to effective management of IK of traditional healthcare practices. The respondents were taken from local communities (traditional healthcare practitioners and community members) and stakeholders (He alth Bureau, Agricultural Bureau and NGO). Accordingly, 84 key respondents were chosen through purposive sampling. The qualitative data were analyzed using thematic content analysis. The analysis results have shown that, peoples in the local community conceptualize disease as the disequilibrium between body and spirit; whereas God, ancestral spirit and witches and sorcerers are the main cause of disease. The above cause’s related diseases can be treated by using traditional healthcare IK such as by traditional medicine, physiotherapy treatment and spiritually treatment by self-medication and traditional healthcare practitioners. Th e acquisition and transmission of IK traditional healthcare was carried out in biophysical setting and socio-cultural setting. However, due to the infrastructural development such as health facilities, road, transportation and the emergence of new religion and the development of schools, the acquisition and transmission and the use of IK of traditional healthcare is at a de creasing rate. So, local community, community leader and elders, young generations, governments, higher education institutions, stakeholders and researchers should capture and manage IK of traditional healthcare practices to save it from ever loss.