Desmistificando a pessoa com deficiência pelo olhar de agentes comunitários de saúde

Abstract

In Primary Health Care (PHC), the Community Health Agents (CHAs) act as central actors in the survey of health demands for the promotion and prevention of injuries, mainly concerning people with disabilities (PwD). The primary objective of this study was to identify the CHA's knowledge about PwD. This is an exploratory and descriptive study, approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Sergipe, under opinion nº 4,530,478. The work consisted of applying an online form via Google forms® for the CHAs and offering the continuing education course for the CHAs from 08/30/2021 to 11/01/2021, carried out virtually and composed of ten weekly meetings, lasting 60 minutes each. The study was completed by 45 CHAs, 80% female, aged between 20 and 56 years. Regarding the level of education, only 40% have completed high school, and 49% have worked for less than five years as an CHA Regarding the questions about PwD, before the course, the participants presented lay and vague knowledge about the definition and basic characteristics of PwD. More than 51% of the CHA did not have knowledge about the rights of PwD, and after the course this number was reduced to 16%. The study showed that it is essential to promote continuous and permanent education of these professionals so that the PwD has ensured their rights guaranteed by law.