Knowing (and) understanding: reports from people cured of Syphilis

• Autor(a) principal: Navega, Débora de Aro
• Data de Publicação: 2018
• Outros Autores: Maia, Ana Cláudia Bortolozzi
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por; eng
• Título da fonte: Revista Brasileira em Promoção da Saúde
• Texto Completo: https://ojs.unifor.br/RBPS/article/view/6943
• topic: Self-care; Health Education; Diagnosis; Disease Prevention; Syphilis.; Autocuidado; Educación en Salud; Diagnóstico; Prevención de Enfermedades; Sífilis.; Autocuidado; Educação em Saúde; Diagnóstico; Prevenção de Doenças; Sífilis.

Objective: To describe the experiences reported by people cured of syphilis on the contagion, diagnosis and information about the infection. Methods: Descriptive research with a qualitative approach, which comprised eight collaborators at a Specialized Health Center in Sexually Transmitted Infections/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (STI/AIDS) in 2015, in the city of Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil. Data was collected by means of a semi- structured interview, from an initial question followed by content analysis. Results: Three thematic categories were unveiled: "The occurrence of syphilis transmission", "The search and emotional reactions to the diagnosis" and "The information on syphilis". The first category evidenced that the vulnerability of the collaborators was permeated by misinformation, confidence in the partner, risky sexual behaviors and late discovery. The second category demonstrated that the diagnosis is usually sought when symptoms manifest themselves and, when faced with that, there are emotional reactions of astonishment, self-blame or blaming on the partner. The third category made it clear that there was little previous knowledge and that the information received in the visits to the health professionals who embraced and guided them contributed to the acceptance of diagnosis, the decision and adherence to treatment. Conclusion: The study evidenced that the disease transmission occurred because of misinformation, confidence in the partner and risky sexual behaviors, with manifestation of symptoms and emotional reactions of the patients.