Educational intervention in Primary Care for the prevention of congenital syphilis

Abstract

Objectives:to evaluate the efficiency of educational interventions related to the knowledge of health care professionals of Primary Care and to verify the impact on the vertical transmission rates of congenital syphilis. Method:a quasi-experimental study conducted in the city of Londrina, Paraná, between 2013 and 2015. An educational intervention on diagnosis, treatment and notification was carried out with 102 professionals with knowledge measurement before and after the intervention. Incidence and mortality data from congenital syphilis were taken from the system for notifiable diseases (SINAN) and the Mortality Information System (SIM). Excel tabulation and statistical analysis was done in the Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 2.1. A descriptive and inferential analysis was performed. Results:the mean number of correct responses increased from 53% to 74.3% after the intervention (p < 0.01). The adherence to professional training was 92.6%. There was a significant reduction in the vertical transmission rate of syphilis from 75% in 2013 to 40.2% in 2015. In 2014 and 2015 there were no records of infant mortality from this condition. Conclusion:the educational intervention significantly increased the knowledge of health professionals about syphilis and collaborated to reduce the rate of vertical transmission of the disease.

Congenital Syphilis: The Profile Analysis among Postpartum Women in Brazil

“…With respect to early prenatal period, in studies conducted east in South and Brazil, resulting also demonstrated similar to the findings of this study demonstrated that 60% of women began prenatal the second trimester [9,19,20]. According to Lazarini and Barbosa [9] and Moreira et al [19] this finding suggests flaws in assistance to prenatal care, which despite increased coverage can be associated with deficiency in the number of health professionals trained and updated in the clinical management of syphilis, being relevant factor in the persistence of high SC rates in these regions.…”

“…In Brazil, despite the increasing coverage of prenatal care from the 90s, only one fifth of women receive proper care as the MH protocol [9]. The less access to prenatal care for vulnerable groups, with similar characteristics to those found in this study as: low education, house workers, brown/black color skin and residents in the North and Northeast regions, demonstrate the persistence of social inequalities in access to health services in Brazil [10].…”

“…Through the examinations in prenatal screening can identify and minimize issues that may affect maternal and child health, from an examination of high sensitivity, low cost and essential for the prevention of SC [9]. However, it is assumed through the results of this study that there was a weakness found during prenatal care program, especially for performance and interpretation of serological tests for syphilis.…”

“…According to Lazarini and Barbosa [9] and Moreira et al [19] this finding suggests flaws in assistance to prenatal care, which despite increased coverage can be associated with deficiency in the number of health professionals trained and updated in the clinical management of syphilis, being relevant factor in the persistence of high SC rates in these regions. Although 92% of women reporting the realization of prenatal care, only 59% had diagnosis of syphilis during this period, 51% completed treatment 30 days before delivery and only 15% of partners received the treatment.…”

Management of syphilis in pregnancy: Knowledge and practices of health care providers and barriers to the control of disease in Teresina, Brazil

“…Poor knowledge of the epidemiological profile of syphilis and CS was also observed in studies performed in São Paulo/Brazil and in Burkina Faso . The high adherence to syphilis in pregnancy case reporting found in this study, superior to that reported by other authors, suggests little cooperation between health surveillance programmes and health care services in the city of Teresina, as the professionals showed insufficient knowledge of the epidemiological profile of CS. The return of epidemiological information to the health care providers is fundamental to the health surveillance process.…”