Care for patients with leprosy: how do doctors and dentists in Primary Health Care work?

Abstract

Quantitative, cross-sectional study, analyzing knowledge and performance in the care and control of leprosy in primary health care in Fortaleza. Among the 366 professionals (222 doctors and 144 dentists), the majority were public servants (n=191; 52.1%), revealed that they developed their knowledge of leprosy during graduation (n=275; 75.1%) and that there is no permanent education on the subject in the municipality (n=297; 81.2%). Public servants and/or participants in government programs were those who most attended to leprosy patients and received the most training on the subject. 255 professionals considered this a health problem in their area (69.7%), 286 (78.1%) did not participated in epidemiological data analysis and 256 (69.9%) informed to be unaware of educational activities aimed at leprosy. In medical consultations, 364 (99.4%) professionals questioned patients about the use of leprosy medication, 297 (81.2%) provided self-care guidance and 210 (57.4%) did not adequately monitor contacts. Despite actions to control the disease, there are deficits in actions to assess disabilities and combat leprosy reactions. Dentists report unpreparedness for assistance, not suspecting the problem during consultations (n=138; 95.8%) and not knowing the disease's connection with Dentistry (n=129; 89.6%). There are weaknesses in planning actions to control and care for the disease, which may impact the reduction of transmission and sequelae of the disease.