Epilepsy: Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Among Secondary School Teachers in Khartoum State

Mohamed A. Elhassan, Amr A. Alemairy, Zeinab M. Amara, Abdrahman A. Hamadelneel, Abbasher H. Mohamed, Ahmed A. Elaimeri

Epilepsy is a continuing tendency to have seizures, i.e., a convulsion or any transient abnormal event resulting from paroxysmal cerebral neurons discharge, even if the attacks are separated by long intervals. Eighty-nine percent of the global burden of epilepsy is in developing countries. Knowledge about the disease is the cornerstone for its treatment and prevention. The aim of this study was to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice of secondary school teachers toward epilepsy in Khartoum state, Sudan. A 38-item structured close ended questionnaire was self-administered to 317 secondary school teachers in Khartoum state, Sudan. The majority of the teachers knew about the term "epilepsy" (93.6%) and had witnessed an epileptic seizure (83.5%). But their knowledge about the etiology and treatment is generally poor: 48% believe that epileptic patients should not be treated normally in the community; 12.9% would tie and 47.6% would put a spoon in the mouth of the seizing patient. There is a relatively low level of knowledge, especially about treatment and whether the disease is curable or not. Also there is misconception about the etiology and treatment by traditional means in spite of the high educational level. There is a high level of negative attitude toward epileptic patients, especially in dealing with them as normal people who can live their lives, get married, and work in areas that suit them. There is a good level of positive practice toward epileptic seizures and their first aid measures, but there is also a high level of negative practice that can harm patients like tying them and putting a spoon in their mouths.