Manejo da epilepsia na rede básica de saúde no Brasil: os profissionais estão preparados? Managing epilepsy in the primary care network in Brazil: are health professionals prepared?

• Main Authors: Li Min Li, Paula Teixeira Fernandes, Susana Mory, Ana Lucia Andrade Noronha, Hanneke M. de Boer, Javier Espíndola, Claudio Miranda, Josemir W. Sander, Leonid Prilipko
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Pan American Health Organization 2005-11-01
• Series: Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública
• Subjects: Epilepsia; estigmatização; SUS (BR); Brasil; Epilepsy; attitude of health personnel; stereotyping; Brazil
• Online Access: http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1020-49892005000900010
• ISSN: 1020-4989; 1680-5348

OBJETIVO: Identificar a percepção quanto à epilepsia dos profissionais médicos e não-médicos que atuam na rede básica de saúde no Brasil. MÉTODO: Os dados foram coletados durante o VI Congresso Brasileiro de Medicina de Família e Comunidade e VI Congresso de Medicina Familiar, realizados em 2004 no Rio de Janeiro, com 1 200 participantes de todo o Brasil. Foram aplicados dois questionários, um para os médicos e outro para profissionais não-médicos da área da saúde. RESULTADOS: Quinhentas e noventa e oito pessoas responderam aos questionários. Tanto os 345 médicos como os 253 não-médicos mostraram uma percepção adequada sobre a epilepsia. A porcentagem média estimada (auto-informada) de pessoas com epilepsia na população atendida pelos profissionais que participaram do estudo foi de 0,78% (286 respostas; 0 a 8%; mediana = 0,37%); de pacientes com crises controladas, 60%; de pacientes em monoterapia, 55%; de médicos que encaminhavam seus pacientes para o neurologista, 59%; e de pacientes que estavam trabalhando ou estudando, 56%. Do total de médicos, 252 (73%) informaram não se sentir seguros no manejo de pessoas com epilepsia, enquanto 84 (24%) sentiam-se seguros e nove (3%) não sabiam; dos 252 médicos que se sentiam inseguros, 226 (90%) disseram que participariam de um treinamento para melhorar a qualidade do atendimento médico na epilepsia. CONCLUSÃO: Os profissionais que participaram do estudo, atuantes no sistema básico de saúde, indicaram que o sistema tem os elementos fundamentais para o tratamento integral da epilepsia. Contudo, para garantir o estabelecimento de um programa efetivo e eficiente de manejo da epilepsia na rede básica, são necessárias: uma rede de referência e contra-referência, a distribuição contínua de drogas anti-epilépticas, a monitorização do manejo da epilepsia pelo Sistema de Informação da Atenção Básica do governo federal e a educação continuada de profissionais de saúde, com ênfase inclusive no apoio psicológico e inserção social dos pacientes portadores de epilepsia.<br>OBJECTIVE: To assess attitudes and beliefs concerning epilepsy held by physicians and allied health professionals who work in the primary care network in Brazil. METHODS: The data were collected during a national family and community medicine conference held in Rio de Janeiro in 2004, which was attended by 1 200 health professionals from throughout the country. Two questionnaires were used, one for physicians and another for nonphysician health workers. RESULTS: A total of 598 conference participants (345 physicians and 253 nonphysician health professionals) completed a questionnaire. Both the physicians and the nonphysician health professionals had acceptable personal attitudes towards persons with epilepsy.According to data from 286 physicians who provided information, the estimated mean percentage of individuals with epilepsy in the populations cared for by the physicians' health care systems in the preceding year was 0.78% (range, 0 to 8%; median = 0.37%). The estimated mean percentage of seizure-free patients was 60%. The estimated mean percentage of persons on monotherapy was 55%. The estimated mean percentage of referrals to a neurologist was 59%. The estimated mean percentage of patients who were working or studying was 56%. Of the 345 physicians, 252 of them (73%) reported not feeling confident about managing individuals with epilepsy, whereas 84 (24%) felt confident, and 9 (3%) were not sure. Of the 252 physicians who did not feel confident, 226 (90%) said that they would participate in a training program to improve the quality of the care provided to individuals with epilepsy. CONCLUSIONS: The professionals participating in the study indicated that the primary care system has the essential elements needed to provide comprehensive epilepsy care, including professional personnel who want to improve their skills. However, establishing an efficient, effective program of epilepsy management in the primary care network will require an effective referral network, regular distribution of antiepileptic drugs, the close monitoring of epilepsy management by using the federal primary health information system, and the ongoing education of health professionals, with emphasis on psychological support and the inclusion in society of individuals with epilepsy.