Introduction
Leprosy is a low contagious infectious disease caused by 2 species of mycobacteria. Patients usually present negative emotions and experiences social stigma associated with it. In Colombia this infection remains a public health problem.
Objective
To study the social representations of physicians in different emergency departments in Cali, Colombia.
Material and methods
Qualitative research was carried out with a focus on social representations in 25 emergency physicians. The free word list and paired comparison technique was applied. Prototypical analysis was performed to know the central and peripheral core of the representation, processual analysis to identify the content, and distance index to determine the organization of the representation.
Results
The term leprosy is linked with stigma and social isolation associated with religious and historical origins, as well as with false perceptions such as the fact that it is typical of poverty, overcrowding and jungle areas. Widespread lack of knowledge of both the disease and its treatment was found, mainly due to insufficient experience, as well as fear of contracting the disease.
Conclusions
Emergency physicians hold stigmatizing perceptions derived from their lack of knowledge about the disease. The representation of the concept studied includes elements of social construction, disease-specific elements, false beliefs and emotional elements.
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