Knowledge and attitude about disabilities in leprosy: Effects of an intervention grounded on the Meaningful Learning Theory

Objective: To analyze the effects of an educational intervention in the light of the Meaningful Learning Theory on the knowledge and attitude of Primary Health Care physicians and nurses in the assessment of the degree of physical disability in leprosy. Method: An intervention study of the before-and-after type, conducted with 122 professionals (84 nurses and 38 physicians) from the Primary Health Care of Joao Pessoa, Paraiba, in a training course on the assessment of the degree of physical disability in leprosy. The data were collected with the research's own instrument validated and analyzed by the chi-square adherence and proportion test, with a 5% significance level. Results: There was an increase in the scores of all items of the instrument, with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) in 20 of the 32 items, with emphasis on those related to the professional's technical ability to conduct the stages of anamnesis, palpation of peripheral nerves, sensory and motor evaluation. It is also noteworthy that, after the intervention, 5 items obtained 100% of correct answers. Conclusion: The educational intervention grounded on the Meaningful Learning' Theory improved the health professionals' knowledge and attitude in the assessment of the degree of physical disability in people with leprosy.