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Learning Objective #1: consider integrative nursing as an option to provide comprehensive health care to the people of Africa.

Learning Objective #2: consider teaching student integrative nursing to address the needs of the people of Africa.

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Western medicine on its own cannot meet the needs of the people of Africa.  Although valuable, the service that western medicine can render to Africa, is still incomplete according to Appiah-Kubi (1993:95) as it concentrates too much on disease and neglects health and the promotion of it.  In an African perspective, western medicine contributes to the curing of the disease, but has limitations as far as the identification of the cause of the disease is concerned as it is only capable of telling what caused the disease and not by whom was it caused (Berends, 1998:9).    

Support of people who prefer to make use of traditional medicine, does not mean that their access to western medicine has to be effected (WHO, 2002:25).  Co-operation between nurses and traditional healers in an integrative healthcare system to the benefit of the patients is rather the goal. Nurses should therefore be trained in the principles of an integrative healthcare system.  One way of doing it, is through the training of nurses in integrative nursing as it supports the patient’s need for greater harmony with his/her environment, the latter being one of the main principles of traditional healing. 

In the presentation the similarities in traditional healing and integrative nursing will be discussed as well as the training of nurses to understand their patients’ beliefs in the power of traditional healing.     
References are available on request.