Rheumatic Heart Disease Education Tools Integrated Into a Screening Program in Brazil: Acceptability and Knowledge Gain

Abstract

Background: Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a preventable cause of premature death among young individuals in low- and middle-income countries. Education is a key strategy to alleviate the burden of this disease. We aimed to assess the acceptability and knowledge gain of a series of low-literacy education flipcharts, presented during screening in high-burden areas of Brazil. Methods: Four low-literacy flipcharts were developed over three years and taught over 36 months to patients, community, school children, and health and education professionals, mostly in the state of Minas Gerais. In-person training and education workshops were assessed through printed surveys. Post-education surveys (for patients and community members), and post-training surveys (for healthcare and education professionals) were conducted from January 2023 to December 2025. A knowledge test, delivered at pre-training, post-training and three-month follow-up, was incorporated from January 2024 to March 2025. Results: Flipchart training was delivered to 1, 317 healthcare and education professionals, while 1, 292 patients and community members and 2, 585 school students received education using the flipcharts. There was a statistically significant (p < 0.01) improvement in knowledge about rheumatic fever (RF) and RHD among healthcare and education professionals participating in the pre- and post-training survey (n = 511): RF as the cause of RHD (64% vs 95%), use of benzathine penicillin G (43% vs 98%), and frequency of antibiotic prophylaxis (21% vs 77%). The improvement from baseline was sustained at follow-up. Over the entire study period, 98% of survey respondents (2, 134) reported learning something new, and 94% (2, 041) intended to share the learnings with their peers or community. Conclusion: Culturally adapted, low-literacy educational flipcharts were successfully integrated into an existing RHD screening program in Brazil. The tool was well accepted among people living with RHD, their providers, and at-risk communities, with significant knowledge gain for healthcare and education professionals.