Percepção dos pacientes de hanseníase na disseminação da informação no município de Coqueiro Seco-AL

Abstract

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease, also considered one of the oldest still persistent communicable diseases of humanity still persistent. This finding is verified by the biblical records that attest to its incidence in remote times. The present work outlines the studies of leprosy in the city of Coqueiro Seco, state of Alagoas. Therefore, it was established as a general objective to raise the individual opinions of leprosy patients on the actions of dissemination of information offered by the local basic health units to specifically this group of people. The methodology was developed with bibliographic and documental research aiming to highlight the fundamental aspects identified in the specialized literature and was added by a structured interview in a questionnaire to collect data from the 13 patients in the city. It was found that the dissemination of information, within the scope of public health, remains a significant challenge. Interviewees highlighted the importance of specialized information that should be systematically offered by health professionals in order to establish initiatives for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of leprosy. Thus, data collection identified that among the strategic actions that should be prioritized for the dissemination of local information on leprosy, there is a prevalence of interest in educational lectures. Most interviewees reported that they did not have local availability of reliable and specialized information to resolve doubts about the disease. With this, it appears that the investigated city does not have a structured process to carry out articulated and strategic actions in the dissemination of information. However, it was noticed that there are individual efforts by health professionals to make it possible for patients to remain in treatment without any preventive care guidelines. The present study is not intended to conclude explorations that are so sensitive to society, but to offer contributions that enhance the strategic importance of disseminating information in public health. With this, it is hoped that other research can expand the development of studies on the subject.