KNOWLEDGE ATTITUDES AND PRACTICES OF TEACHERS TOWARDS EPILEPSY IN TARKWA-NSUAEM MUNICIPALITY

Abstract

Epilepsy is the most common neurological disorder in the world; approximately 50 million are diagnosed worldwide. Even though many teachers are aware of the condition, a lot of misconceptions about the condition have resulted in discrimination and restricted educational opportunities for People with epilepsy, and in some cases, members of their families. Despite widespread negativity about the condition in Ghana, epilepsy is treatable. Appropriate medical treatment could help reduce many avoidable injuries and deaths. The objective of this study, therefore, was to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of basic school teachers on epilepsy in Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality. The study employed a descriptive and cross sectional designs and used a questionnaire to collect data from 312 participants. Data was analyzed with SPSS version 20. The study found that majority of the teachers (73.9%) was knowledgeable about epilepsy and had positive attitudes (84.5%) toward epilepsy. However, seizure management practices among the teachers were poor; only 19.3% of the teachers had appropriate seizure management practices. The findings made indicate that, even though knowledge levels and attitudes toward epilepsy are acceptable; over 70% of the teachers had adequate knowledge and positive attitudes toward epilepsy, it rather reflected in inappropriate seizure management. On the basis of the findings, it is necessary to train teachers in Tarkwa-Nsuaem on seizure management.