A focused ethnography about treatment-seeking behaviour and traditional medicine in the Nasioi area of Bougainville.

A focused ethnographic study examining knowledge, behaviour and attitudes related to treatment-seeking behaviour and traditional medicine was conducted in the Nasioi area of Bougainville. The study was conducted in two separate locations within the Nasioi area. Some similarities as well as some differences in knowledge and behaviour were exhibited in the two study locations which could be further investigated. People from both areas had a similar perception of common and serious illnesses. People from both areas also attributed illness to both biological factors and supernatural forces. Home management was the most common initial response to illness and the local village clinic or urban health centre were most frequently used as the first treatment resort. The most important factors in determining treatment-seeking responses to illness in both locations were cost and proximity to home or convenience. The study found that there may be considerable potential for an integrated health system in the Nasioi area and provided suggestions as to how this could be progressed. The study also provided information that could be useful in a wider context in informing the implementation of the national policy on traditional medicine in Papua New Guinea.