J Dodda Basava, N Chandan, Veerappa A Kothiwale, Phaniraj Vastrad, Kalesh M Karun, Manish J Barvaliya
{"title":"Challenges faced by medical officers in managing snakebite envenoming in North Karnataka, India: A qualitative thematic analysis.","authors":"J Dodda Basava, N Chandan, Veerappa A Kothiwale, Phaniraj Vastrad, Kalesh M Karun, Manish J Barvaliya","doi":"10.4314/ahs.v26i1.5","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Snakebite envenoming is a neglected tropical disease and a major medical emergency in rural India. Medical officers play a key role in its management but often face systemic and operational barriers.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>To explore the challenges and barriers faced by medical officers in managing snakebite envenoming in rural Karnataka.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A qualitative study using purposive sampling was conducted in selected Government healthcare centers (PHCs (Primary healthcare centre), CHCs (Community health centre), and THs (Taluk hospital) across Belagavi and Raichur districts of Karnataka. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Ethical clearance was obtained from the institutional ethics committees.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Forty-eight medical officers (38 males and 10 females) participated in open-ended, face-to-face interviews conducted in English and 41.66% had 1-5 years of experience. Major barriers included delayed patient presentation due to reliance on traditional healers, poor awareness, shortages of antivenom (ASV), equipment, ICU facilities, inadequate training, staffing shortages, and persistent cultural misconceptions about snakebite.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Strengthening infrastructure, ensuring ASV availability, enhancing training, and community education are crucial to improve outcomes and reduce mortality from snakebite envenoming in rural India.</p>","PeriodicalId":94295,"journal":{"name":"African health sciences","volume":"26 1","pages":"34-43"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9000,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13126129/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"African health sciences","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.4314/ahs.v26i1.5","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"","JCRName":"","Score":null,"Total":0}
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Abstract
Background: Snakebite envenoming is a neglected tropical disease and a major medical emergency in rural India. Medical officers play a key role in its management but often face systemic and operational barriers.
Objective: To explore the challenges and barriers faced by medical officers in managing snakebite envenoming in rural Karnataka.
Methods: A qualitative study using purposive sampling was conducted in selected Government healthcare centers (PHCs (Primary healthcare centre), CHCs (Community health centre), and THs (Taluk hospital) across Belagavi and Raichur districts of Karnataka. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Ethical clearance was obtained from the institutional ethics committees.
Results: Forty-eight medical officers (38 males and 10 females) participated in open-ended, face-to-face interviews conducted in English and 41.66% had 1-5 years of experience. Major barriers included delayed patient presentation due to reliance on traditional healers, poor awareness, shortages of antivenom (ASV), equipment, ICU facilities, inadequate training, staffing shortages, and persistent cultural misconceptions about snakebite.
Conclusion: Strengthening infrastructure, ensuring ASV availability, enhancing training, and community education are crucial to improve outcomes and reduce mortality from snakebite envenoming in rural India.
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