Re: https://www.hifa.org/dgroups-rss/epilepsy-and-seizures-now-freely-availa...
Dear Todd and HIFA colleagues,
Many thanks for informing HIFA about the online version of Hesperian's 'Epilepsy and Seizures: Building Care in the Community which is freely available on Hesperian’s website: https://en.hesperian.org/hhg/Epilepsy_and_Seizures
As you say: 'most medical and nursing students get quite limited education on epilepsy, often resulting in poor care, misdiagnoses, and stigma against people with this condition'.
A 2020 study in India, for example, found that 'nearly 10% of auxiliary nurse midwives and almost a fifth of accredited social health activists (ASHAs) had never heard about epilepsy. A quarter of government medical officers and over two-thirds of ANMs and ASHAs had never provided care to someone with epilepsy. There were significant differences in the levels of knowledge between the three groups of workers.' https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1525505019306596
A 2022 Mozambique study found 'CHWs knowledge of medical treatment and epilepsy safety/risks were adequate. However, information on the causes of epilepsy, stigmatizing attitudes, cultural treatment, and some knowledge of epileptic seizure management were low.' https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36430139/
And a 2024 study in Kenya found 'Health workers commonly reported awareness of the Kenya National Guidelines for the Management of Epilepsy, had exposure to epilepsy and experience in epilepsy care, and showed basic background knowledge of epilepsy; however, knowledge gaps were identified. The greatest barriers to epilepsy care reported include community beliefs, stigma, and lack of resources, with regional variability found.'
You mentioned misinformation in your message and this is a particular issue with epilepsy, which is widely misunderstood.
This would be a great topic for a HIFA Spotlight. www.hifa.org/spotlights
Best wishes, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org