How to live with lupus? Impact of educational work

Abstract

A prospective intervention study with 40 systemic lupus erythematosus patients who were treated at the Clinical Immunology consultation of the Arnaldo Milian Castro Provincial University Hospital was carried out during the period from March 2004 to April 2005. The patients showed full cooperation with the study and were surveyed, before and after implementing the group dynamics and the talk. The objective was to demonstrate if the educational work has a positive impact on the emotional state of patients suffering from this illness. The following parameters were included: time of evolution of the disease; level, quality and source of information about the condition; emotional state, perception of illness and family support. Personal data such as sex, age and skin color were also included. It was determined that 55% of surveyed patients were distributed in the age groups from 37 to 50 years of age; 100% of them were women and 95% had white skin. The largest source of information they had was their doctor. Before the talk many had a distorted perception of their illness. But after the talk it was noticed that the level of knowledge about the disease increased considerably, as well as the perception of their illness; but their emotional state could not be completely changed. Therefore, it was recommended the creation of a support group in the institution, together with a multidisciplinary team that includes specialized psychological care.