Knowledge and Practice of Seizure Management among School Teachers in Nepal
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Abstract
A person having a seizure is often subjected to social discrimination in developing countries and, therefore, the situation is improperly handled when it occurs. The purpose of this study was to determine the level of knowledge about seizures and the way to handle that situation, by school teachers in Nepal. All the teachers at three schools run by a private foundation were interviewed (census method) using a self-administered semi-structured questionnaire, together with a separate score sheet, to ascertain their level of knowledge and understanding about, seizures, and their practice to handle sufferers during seizures. It was found that more than 50% of them believed seizures are a result of brain disease. Their source of information about the problem and its management was basically from family members and friends (37%). Almost 45% were found to have inadequate knowledge about seizures and their cause, and almost 48% of the respondents described an inappropriate way of handling a seizure case that might occur at school. The Chi square associations showed that the presence of a health care facility at the school was statistically significant with the management of sick children (= 14.25 and p-value < 0.05), however, teachers’ educational status had no relationship with their knowledge about seizures (= 6.5 and p-value > 0.05). This obviously raises question regarding health safety of children at school. Our findings strongly suggest that school should provide facilities for proper handling of seizure affected children and an intervention program for every school teacher is essential to ensure the proper care of the child suffering from seizure attack at school. This supports to create a safe and non-discriminatory environment for them at school.
Keywords: Knowledge and Practice Level, Seizure in Children, School Teachers, Seizure Management
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