Understanding of and attitudes towards people with epilepsy among community-based rehabilitation volunteers in Guinea-Bissau.

BACKGROUND Community-based epilepsy care programs improve access to epilepsy treatment in resource-poor settings. Community volunteers are important to these services. Most studies on familiarity with, understanding of, and attitudes towards people with epilepsy (PWE), however, ignore these volunteers. METHODS We explored these issues among 15 community volunteers involved in a community-based rehabilitation child epilepsy service recently initiated in Guinea-Bissau using face-to-face interviews. RESULTS We found that the volunteers had a reasonable understanding of epilepsy, moderate attitudes towards PWE, and a good understanding of difficulties PWE encounter in society. CONCLUSION Evaluation of understanding and attitudes of community volunteers may be useful to improve low-cost community-based epilepsy programs. A correct understanding of epilepsy among community volunteers may increase effective treatment of and support to children with epilepsy through community-based epilepsy programs.