title: Knowledge about epilepsy among health professionals: a cross-sectional survey in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
abstract: To evaluate the epilepsy knowledge among health professionals in São Paulo, Brazil.
  
  
  
  This is a cross-sectional study.
  
  
  
  Professionals with academic degrees in physical education (n=134), nutrition (n=116), medicine (n=100), psychology (n=53), nursing (n=122) and physiotherapy (n=99) who lived in São Paulo City, Brazil.
  
  
  
  Knowledge of health professionals about epilepsy.
  
  
  
  Professionals with academic degrees in physical education (n=134), nutrition (n=116), medicine (n=100), psychology (n=53), nursing (n=122) and physiotherapy (n=99) who lived in São Paulo City, Brazil, were invited to participate in the study. The subjects (n=624) answered a questionnaire composed of 25 simple closed-ended questions from three areas: personal, educational and knowledge.
  
  
  
  Out of all subjects, 88.5% (n=552) had a postgraduate education, while 11.5% (n=72) had only an undergraduate degree. The authors found that physical educators, nutritionists and physiotherapists received lower scores on their epilepsy knowledge than other health professionals.
  
  
  
  Health professionals are considered better-educated group inside the society, especially with regards to healthcare issues. Thus, it is important they also have an accurate and correct knowledge about epilepsy. The findings of the present study indicate an imperative improvement in education about epilepsy, as well as an inclusion of formal programmes for epilepsy education especially for non-medical professionals. An improvement in epilepsy education might contribute to an improvement in epilepsy care and management.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. rodrigoluizvancini@gmail.com
authors.forename: Rodrigo Luiz
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Vancini
authors.forename: Ana Amélia
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Benedito-Silva
authors.forename: Bolivar Saldanha
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Sousa
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gomes da Silva
authors.forename: Maria Iones
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Souza-Vancini
authors.forename: Cássia Regina
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Vancini-Campanharo
authors.forename: Francisco Romero
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Cabral
authors.forename: Cristiano
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: de Lima
authors.forename: Claudio Andre Barbosa
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: de Lira