Educação em saúde para prevenção e controle da hanseníase voltada para agentes comunitários de saúde: relato de experiência

Contextualization: In Brazil, leprosy is considered an endemic disease. Thus, leprosy control programs in the basic health network are considered as a strategy for controlling control the disease and improving the quality of care provided to the person with leprosy, facilitating access to treatment, prevention of disabilities, reduction of stigma and social exclusion. So, the role of primary care in the eradication of the disease becomes fundamental. Description of the experience: The main objective was to report on the experience of health education for the Community Health Agents (ACS), so that they could perform an active search, identify the cases early and guide the population on the prevention and control the disease. For this, a workshop was held with the participation of 55 ACS from the municipality of Bujaru (PA). The workshop addressed topics such as: history of leprosy in Brazil and in the world, pathophysiology of leprosy, signs and symptoms, forms of diagnosis, treatment, self-care, disability prevention and the role of ACS in the prevention and control of disease. Pedagogical methodology was used as conversation wheels and educational scoundrels, through true or false dynamics, “questions in the box” and a board game, to address the issues listed. Final considerations: The workshop contributed to enrich participants’ knowledge about the aspects of leprosy. The results showed that health education is a fundamental tool for the interaction between the knowledge involved in the health disease process, in the training of health system managers, in disease prevention, guidance and health promotion