O Center for Health Education and Research Anita Garibaldi, from the Santos Dumont Institute (ISD), ends this Wednesday (16) the 2020 epilepsy training activities for medical and nursing teams working in the basic health network of Macaíba/RN. The initiative intends to extend the program, on dates not yet defined, to also qualify professionals from other regions of the state. For 2021, training is planned in areas such as microcephaly and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), in which Anita/ISD is also a reference in the state.

The Epilepsy clinic at the Anita Specialized Center for Hearing, Physical and Intellectual Rehabilitation (CER-III) is a reference in Rio Grande do Norte for assistance with refractory epilepsies – epilepsies with difficult-to-control seizures – and has identified deficiencies in the basic health network in relation to the diagnosis and monitoring of epilepsy demands monitored in the basic network.

“Anita has become a reference in the treatment of refractory epilepsies, but non-refractory epilepsies – those that are less severe and respond to medication – need to be managed in basic units”, says neuropediatrician Celina Reis. “Therefore, our objective is to train professionals in these units so that they know how to carry out monitoring, diagnosis, possible referrals and provide all the support the patient needs”.

Monitoring cases of controlled epilepsy, non-refractory epilepsy – the target of the training carried out at Anita, according to Celina – can be done in the basic health network through the prescription of some medications and, for example, monitoring of symptoms. “When the patient responds to medications, his condition is under control, he can continue to be monitored by primary care. The serious cases we receive are those that, for example, reach the third medication without response, and end up going bankrupt or fainting”, explains Celina.

Training
This Wednesday (16), around 15 professionals who work in rural and urban areas of Macaíba made up the second group of training on epilepsy. In November, Anita/ISD received the first class of the course, which was scheduled to take place in March, but was suspended due to the pandemic.

The nurse at the Basic Health Unit (UBS) Morada da Fé, urban area of Macaíba, Naiara Rêgo, says that she arrived at the training at Anita/ISD with the intention of improving the way of approaching patients with epilepsy. “This year I received two children who arrived at the UBS having seizures. In these moments we understand the importance of early diagnosis, of knowing how to identify the problem and, if necessary, refer and liaise with the Reference Center. It is a professional, personal and, of course, enrichment to help the patients we receive”, says Naiara.

Also a nurse in the municipality, Gracimália Trindade, who works at UBS Vila São José, in the urban area of Macaíba, says that she observes many stigmas related to epilepsy. “Many patients arrive and are embarrassed to even report their crises. There is still a certain prejudice regarding these neuropsychological problems. Those of us who are in frequent contact with the community need to understand the pathology to try to deconstruct these fears and reinforce the importance of seeking help and having well-directed monitoring. That’s why it’s important to be here to acquire this knowledge and pass it on to our places of operation”, he said.

The training takes place at Anita throughout the day and includes a workshop on childhood epilepsy and classes on anamnesis, types of seizures, clinical description of epileptic syndrome, diagnosis and treatments.
The training rate of health teams is one of the Santos Dumont Institute indicators monitored and evaluated by the Ministry of Education, a federal government agency to which the Institute has been linked since 2014.

Actions in the area are carried out in a discussed, planned way and based on the problematization of the work that professionals carry out in practice. Family planning and the role of primary health care in caring for people living with HIV/AIDS were among the topics on the agenda scheduled for 2020, which ended up being postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

This Wednesday's training on epilepsy was the second held this year. According to the team leading the initiative, new classes of the course are expected for 2021, in addition to other training on microcephaly and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).