Development and Validation of Epilepsy Life Skills Guidelines for Primary School Learners and Teachers in Limpopo and Mpumalanga Provinces
Epilepsy is a disorder that disturbs nerve cell activity in the brain, resulting in seizures. It was noted that it occurs mostly in children, especially at the primary school level, and could result from a genetic condition. The aim of this study was to develop and validate life skills education gui...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Children |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/10/7/1194 |
| _version_ | 1797589846246555648 |
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| author | Thendo Gertie Makhado Rachel Tsakani Lebese Maria Sonto Maputle |
| author_facet | Thendo Gertie Makhado Rachel Tsakani Lebese Maria Sonto Maputle |
| author_sort | Thendo Gertie Makhado |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Epilepsy is a disorder that disturbs nerve cell activity in the brain, resulting in seizures. It was noted that it occurs mostly in children, especially at the primary school level, and could result from a genetic condition. The aim of this study was to develop and validate life skills education guidelines for primary school learners of Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces in South Africa to educate them about epilepsy with the aim of reducing stigma and discrimination towards people with epilepsy. The guidelines were developed by adapting the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline development guide, which included the formulation of PICOS (population, intervention, comparison, outcome, study design) questions, conducting a systematic review of the literature, and using GRADE (grading of recommendations assessment, development, and evaluation) to develop evidence-based recommendations. The recommendations that informed the guideline development were that epilepsy education should be included in the primary school life skills curriculum to improve learners’ understanding, attitudes, and skills related to epilepsy. This epilepsy education should be tailored to the needs of primary school learners and cover topics such as seizure recognition, management, medication, and coping strategies. Collaboration between healthcare providers, educators, and policymakers is crucial to developing culturally appropriate and evidence-based epilepsy education guidelines. Teachers and healthcare providers should also receive training on how to support learners living with epilepsy. The resulting guidelines provide clear and concise guidance on epilepsy education in life skills for primary school learners, caregivers, and teachers. The guidelines are expected to improve the quality of epilepsy life skills education and contribute to the overall well-being and inclusion of learners with epilepsy in Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces, South Africa. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:11:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-aa4b7a766d8b4d1c8adc2da2e693756d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-9067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:11:56Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Children |
| spelling | doaj.art-aa4b7a766d8b4d1c8adc2da2e693756d2023-11-18T18:49:33ZengMDPI AGChildren2227-90672023-07-01107119410.3390/children10071194Development and Validation of Epilepsy Life Skills Guidelines for Primary School Learners and Teachers in Limpopo and Mpumalanga ProvincesThendo Gertie Makhado0Rachel Tsakani Lebese1Maria Sonto Maputle2Department of Advanced Nursing Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Venda, P. Bag X5050, Thohoyandou 0950, South AfricaThe Research Office, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Venda, P. Bag X5050, Thohoyandou 0950, South AfricaDepartment of Advanced Nursing Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Venda, P. Bag X5050, Thohoyandou 0950, South AfricaEpilepsy is a disorder that disturbs nerve cell activity in the brain, resulting in seizures. It was noted that it occurs mostly in children, especially at the primary school level, and could result from a genetic condition. The aim of this study was to develop and validate life skills education guidelines for primary school learners of Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces in South Africa to educate them about epilepsy with the aim of reducing stigma and discrimination towards people with epilepsy. The guidelines were developed by adapting the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline development guide, which included the formulation of PICOS (population, intervention, comparison, outcome, study design) questions, conducting a systematic review of the literature, and using GRADE (grading of recommendations assessment, development, and evaluation) to develop evidence-based recommendations. The recommendations that informed the guideline development were that epilepsy education should be included in the primary school life skills curriculum to improve learners’ understanding, attitudes, and skills related to epilepsy. This epilepsy education should be tailored to the needs of primary school learners and cover topics such as seizure recognition, management, medication, and coping strategies. Collaboration between healthcare providers, educators, and policymakers is crucial to developing culturally appropriate and evidence-based epilepsy education guidelines. Teachers and healthcare providers should also receive training on how to support learners living with epilepsy. The resulting guidelines provide clear and concise guidance on epilepsy education in life skills for primary school learners, caregivers, and teachers. The guidelines are expected to improve the quality of epilepsy life skills education and contribute to the overall well-being and inclusion of learners with epilepsy in Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces, South Africa.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/10/7/1194developmentepilepsyeducational programguidelineslife skillsprimary school learners |
| spellingShingle | Thendo Gertie Makhado Rachel Tsakani Lebese Maria Sonto Maputle Development and Validation of Epilepsy Life Skills Guidelines for Primary School Learners and Teachers in Limpopo and Mpumalanga Provinces Children development epilepsy educational program guidelines life skills primary school learners |
| title | Development and Validation of Epilepsy Life Skills Guidelines for Primary School Learners and Teachers in Limpopo and Mpumalanga Provinces |
| title_full | Development and Validation of Epilepsy Life Skills Guidelines for Primary School Learners and Teachers in Limpopo and Mpumalanga Provinces |
| title_fullStr | Development and Validation of Epilepsy Life Skills Guidelines for Primary School Learners and Teachers in Limpopo and Mpumalanga Provinces |
| title_full_unstemmed | Development and Validation of Epilepsy Life Skills Guidelines for Primary School Learners and Teachers in Limpopo and Mpumalanga Provinces |
| title_short | Development and Validation of Epilepsy Life Skills Guidelines for Primary School Learners and Teachers in Limpopo and Mpumalanga Provinces |
| title_sort | development and validation of epilepsy life skills guidelines for primary school learners and teachers in limpopo and mpumalanga provinces |
| topic | development epilepsy educational program guidelines life skills primary school learners |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/10/7/1194 |
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