Browsing by Author "Taylor, Ann Gill"

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    Living in the epilepsy treatment gap in rural South India: A focused ethnography of women and problems associated with stigma
    (Taylor & Francis, 2017) von Gaudecker, Jane R.; Taylor, Ann Gill; Keeling, Arlene W.; Buelow, Janice M.; Benjamin, Sailas; School of Nursing
    In India, women with epilepsy face unique challenges. A focused ethnography of six women within the epilepsy treatment gap was conducted in rural South India. Women were asked to describe their day-to-day lives. Data were collected through open-ended, semistructured interview questions, participant observation, and field notes. Thematic analysis was done. The disease-related stigma contributed to the women's physical, psychological, and emotional struggles; the women and their family members made every effort to conceal the disease. Educational interventions to create awareness could help women seek effective treatments for their seizures, thereby reducing the stigma and improving the quality of their lives.
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    Women’s Experiences with Epilepsy Treatment in Southern India: A Focused Ethnography
    (NSU, 2019) von Gaudecker, Jane R.; Taylor, Ann Gill; Buelow, Janice M.; Benjamin, Sailas; Draucker, Claire B.; School of Nursing
    Women with epilepsy in rural southern India often do not receive anti-epilepsy drugs (AEDs) or take these drugs regularly, but little is known about how they experience the epilepsy treatment they do receive. The purpose of this study was to provide an in-depth description of the treatment experiences of women in this region who had been diagnosed with epilepsy but who do not consistently take AEDs. Focused ethnography was conducted using participant observation and in-depth interviews with six women with epilepsy, eight of their family members, and two traditional healers. The women's treatment experiences are best described as living at the intersection of Western allopathic ("English") medicine and traditional healing practices-approaches that could be complementary or conflicting. The women revealed a variety of perceived barriers to the use of "English" medicine. Health care professionals should appreciate the dynamic interplay of the two treatment approaches and consider all cultural, social, and economic factors that influence the women's treatment experiences.