Fabiana de Campos Gomes, Dennys Robson Girardi, Patrícia Maluf Cury, Idiberto José Zotarelli Filho and Claudia Maria Cabral Moro Barra

Abstract

Introduction: In leprosy, for the study of disabilities, functional limitation (physical deformities), activity limitation, and social participation are considered, such disabilities can be measured respectively by the simplified neurological assessment of eyes, hands, and feet (EHF) and by the scales SALSA and Social Participation. This process can be facilitated with the support of artificial intelligence (AI), specifically by Bayesian networks (BN). Objective: To present and discuss the relative results of two modules of SADHANS, SalsaS, which presents the conditions of the evolution of functional limitation, and the SpartS, which presents the evolution of the restriction to social participation in patients after discharge from leprosy. Methods: This work described a cross-sectional study to model (STROBE rules) a support system for the identification of the development of disabilities in leprosy (SADHANS), especially concerning activity limitation (SalsaS) and social participation (SpartS).Its performance was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná – PUCPR, opinion 0004697/11. Results and Conclusion: The SalsaS and SpartS modules were developed to help identify the probabilities that a patient discharged from leprosy has developed disabilities related to activity limitation and social participation. The system is essential to help health services to care for patients during treatment and after the therapeutic cure of leprosy, as it directly assists in the prevention of disabilities, presenting what should be monitored. The main contribution of the modules is in offering the probabilities that involve the development of new and the evolution of disabilities, according to the characteristics of the patient. It is a system modeled from Bayesian networks, which indicates the elements that must be monitored to avoid and/or control the evolution of disabilities. According to the research results, it appears that the disability prevention policies developed by the health system must overcome the discussion and practices aimed at physical deformities, offering answers to problems also related to social participation and limitation of activities. Finally, it is considered that the modules are ready to be applied in the health system for the care of patients after leprosy discharge.