Conhecimentos e atitudes sobre epilepsia entre universitários da área da saúde

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Abstract

Vários estudos em diversos paises mostram em relação à epilepsia a falta de conhecimentos, os preconceitos e as repercussões negativas para os pacientes. Avaliamos os conhecimentos e atitudes de universitários da área da saúde no início e ao final dos cursos. Foram aplicados questionários contendo 15 questões em relação à epilepsia a 564 universitários (290 do primeiro e 274 do último ano) de cinco cursos (ciências farmacêuticas, fisioterapia, medicina, nutrição e terapia ocupacional). Os estudantes de último ano tiveram maior familiaridade com epilepsia, melhor conhecimento de suas causas e de seu tratamento. Também em questões relacionadas ao trabalho e à conduta durante as crises, ao final dos cursos cresceram as posturas positivas. Não obstante, porcentagem significativa dos universitários do último ano ainda apresentou importantes lacunas de conhecimento em relação à epilepsia o que sugere a necessidade de ações dirigidas a minorar essa situação.

Translated abstract

Several studies in different countries show a lack of knowledge about epilepsy with consequent prejudice and discrimination to epileptic patients. We aim to evaluate knowledge and attitudes of health area junior and senior students. Simple self-administered questionnaires were applied to 290 junior students and to 274 senior students. Senior students had more familiarity, better knowledge about etiology and had a more positive perception about anticonvulsant medication. Positive attitudes about work were more common among senior students. Although, significant percentage of students had a lack of knowledge about epilepsy. A third of the respondents could use improper and potentially harmful measures during a seizure. Actions directed to increment the knowledge and attitudes of health area students could improve the quality of life of patients with epilepsy.

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Most cited references 26

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Epilepsy awareness among school teachers in Thailand.

P Kankirawatana (1999)

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurologic disorders of childhood. However, in Thailand, as well as in most of other developing countries, little attention has been paid to improve the public knowledge regarding epilepsy. Currently public attitude toward epilepsy is rather negative, full of prejudices and bias. Children with epilepsy in Thailand still find themselves confronted with social barriers that prevent them from academic achievements, in addition to the limitation that the disease itself has already placed on them. To delineate the magnitude and scope of this problem, we performed a small pilot study to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of epilepsy in the school teachers in Thailand whose major impact on the children is manifested by attitudes and learning. The study was conducted by sending simple self-administered questionnaires to 360 schools all over Thailand. The questionnaires contained 14 questions relating to epilepsy awareness, attitudes, and first-aid management of seizures. We found that 38% of respondents had not heard of or read about epilepsy, and 46.6% believed that epilepsy is a chronic incurable disease. Fifteen percent of the respondents preferred to place all children with epilepsy in a special classroom. Furthermore, half of the respondents who had experience with first-aid management of seizures used improper and potentially harmful measures. Besides the proper management of epilepsy, a general public education campaign for epilepsy and the need to address and correct the existing biases are necessary to improve the quality of life of children with epilepsy in Thailand.