PTSD explains why some subarachnoid hemorrhage patients, despite relatively good clinical outcomes, continue to experience a reduced QoL. Given that maladaptive coping skills seem the main cause of PTSD, teaching patients better coping skills early on might prevent PTSD and QoL reduction.

Decisions regarding conveyance of patients with epilepsy in this study were substantially guided by ambulance clinician experience rather than by robust training and guidelines. This study supports the need for improved guidance that addresses this common area of practice and the development of alternative care pathways that may be used by ambulance clinicians for patients with epilepsy.

SUMMARYPurpose: One fifth of people with established epilepsy attend hospital emergency departments (EDs) and one half are admitted each year. These ED visits are not necessarily required, and unplanned hospitalizations are costly. Reducing avoidable ED visits and admissions is a target in most health services. The development of interventions is, however, challenging. Policymakers lack information about users' characteristics, factors associated with ED use, as well as quality of care. This study provides this information. Methods: We prospectively recruited patients attending three London EDs for seizures. They completed questionnaires on service use and psychosocial state. Key Findings: Eighty-five patients were recruited. The mean age was 41; 53% were male. The average number of ED attendances in the prior year (mean 3.2; median 2) exceeded that of other ED users and those with most chronic conditions. ED use was not homogenous, with some patients attending frequently. Compared to the wider epilepsy population, ED attendees experienced more seizures, anxiety, had lower knowledge of epilepsy and its management and greater perceived epilepsyrelated stigma. In the previous 12 months, most patients' epilepsy outpatient care was consistent with standard criteria for quality. In descending order, lower knowledge, higher perceived stigma, poorer self-medication management, and seizure frequency were associated with more emergency visits. Significance: People with epilepsy presenting to EDs reattend frequently. Interventions aiming at reduced ED use by this population should address lower knowledge, stigma, suboptimal self-management, and frequent seizures reported by patients.

PurposeKnowledge about patient experience within emergency departments (EDs) allows services to develop and improve in line with patient needs. There is no standardized instrument to measure patient experience. The aim of this study is to identify patient reported experience measures (PREMs) for EDs, examine the rigour by which they were developed and their psychometric properties when judged against standard criteria.Data sourcesMedline, Scopus, CINAHL, PsycINFO, PubMed and Web of Science were searched from inception to May 2015.Study selectionStudies were identified using specific search terms and inclusion criteria. A total of eight articles, reporting on four PREMs, were included.Data extractionData on the development and performance of the four PREMs were extracted from the articles. The measures were critiqued according to quality criteria previously described by Pesudovs K, Burr JM, Harley C, et al. (The development, assessment, and selection of questionnaires. Optom Vis Sci 2007;84:663–74.).ResultsThere was significant variation in the quality of development and reporting of psychometric properties. For all four PREMs, initial development work included the ascertainment of patient experiences using qualitative interviews. However, instrument performance was poorly assessed. Validity and reliability were measured in some studies; however responsiveness, an important aspect on survey development, was not measured in any of the included studies.ConclusionPREMS currently available for use in the ED have uncertain validity, reliability and responsiveness. Further validation work is required to assess their acceptability to patients and their usefulness in clinical practice.

Quality of Life (QoL) is the preferred outcome in non-pharmacological trials, but there is little UK population evidence of QoL in epilepsy. In advance of evaluating an epilepsy self-management course we aimed to describe, among UK participants, what clinical and psycho-social characteristics are associated with QoL. We recruited 404 adults attending specialist clinics, with at least two seizures in the prior year and measured their self-reported seizure frequency, co-morbidity, psychological distress, social characteristics, including self-mastery and stigma, and epilepsy-specific QoL (QOLIE-31-P). Mean age was 42 years, 54% were female, and 75% white. Median time since diagnosis was 18 years, and 69% experienced ≥10 seizures in the prior year. Nearly half (46%) reported additional medical or psychiatric conditions, 54% reported current anxiety and 28% reported current depression symptoms at borderline or case level, with 63% reporting felt stigma. While a maximum QOLIE-31-P score is 100, participants’ mean score was 66, with a wide range (25–99). In order of large to small magnitude: depression, low self-mastery, anxiety, felt stigma, a history of medical and psychiatric comorbidity, low self-reported medication adherence, and greater seizure frequency were associated with low QOLIE-31-P scores. Despite specialist care, UK people with epilepsy and persistent seizures experience low QoL. If QoL is the main outcome in epilepsy trials, developing and evaluating ways to reduce psychological and social disadvantage are likely to be of primary importance. Educational courses may not change QoL, but be one component supporting self-management for people with long-term conditions, like epilepsy.

People with chronic epilepsy (PWE) often make costly, and clinically unnecessary emergency department (ED) visits. Some do it frequently. No studies have examined interventions to reduce them. An intervention delivered by an epilepsy nurse specialist (ENS) might reduce visits. The rationale is it may optimize patients' self-management skills and knowledge of appropriate ED use. We examined such an intervention's clinical- and cost-effectiveness. Eighty-five adults with epilepsy were recruited from three London EDs with similar catchment populations. Forty-one PWE recruited from two EDs received treatment-as-usual (TAU) and formed the comparison group. The remaining 44 PWE were recruited from the ED of a hospital that had implemented a new ENS service for PWE attending ED. These participants formed the intervention group. They were offered 2 one-to-one sessions with an ENS, plus TAU. Participants completed questionnaires on health service use and psychosocial well-being at baseline, 6- and 12-month follow-up. Covariates were identified and adjustments made. Sixty-nine (81%) participants were retained at follow-up. No significant effect of the intervention on ED visits at 12 months or on other outcomes was found. However, due to less time as inpatients, the average service cost for intervention participants over follow-up was less than for TAU participants' (adjusted difference £558, 95% CI, −£2409, £648). Covariates most predictive of subsequent ED visits were patients' baseline feelings of stigmatization due to epilepsy and low confidence in managing epilepsy. The intervention did not lead to a reduction in ED use, but did not cost more, partly because those receiving the intervention had shorter hospital admissions. Our findings on long-term ED predictors clarifies what causes ED use, and suggests that future interventions might focus more on patients' perceptions of stigma and on their confidence in managing epilepsy. If addressed, ED visits might be reduced and efficiency-savings generated.

Background and Purpose-A transient ischemic attack (TIA) involves temporary neurological symptoms but leaves a patient symptom-free. Patients are faced with an increased risk for future stroke, and the manifestation of the TIA itself might be experienced as traumatizing. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after TIA and its relation to patients' psychosocial outcome. Methods-Patients with TIA were prospectively studied, and 3 months after the diagnosis, PTSD, anxiety, depression, quality of life, coping strategies, and medical knowledge were assessed via self-rating instruments. Results-Of 211 patients with TIA, data of 108 patients were complete and only those are reported. Thirty-two (29.6%) patients were classified as having PTSD. This rate is 10× as high as in the general German population. Patients with TIA with PTSD were more likely to show signs of anxiety and depression. PTSD was associated with the use of maladaptive coping strategies, subjectively rated high stroke risk, as well as with younger age. Finally, PTSD and anxiety were associated with decreased mental quality of life. Conclusions-The experience of TIA increases the risk for PTSD and associated anxiety, depression, and reduced mental quality of life. Because a maladaptive coping style and a subjectively overestimated stroke risk seem to play a crucial role in this adverse progression, the training of adaptive coping strategies and cautious briefing about the realistic stroke risk associated with TIA might be a promising approach. Despite the great loss of patients to follow-up, the results indicate that PTSD after TIA requires increased attention. (Stroke. 2014;45:3360-3366.)

BackgroundTeaching people with epilepsy to identify and manage seizure triggers, implement strategies to remember to take antiepileptic drugs, implement precautions to minimize risks during seizures, tell others what to do during a seizure and learn what to do during recovery may lead to better self-management. No teaching programme exists for adults with epilepsy in the United Kingdom although a number of surveys have shown patients want more information.Methods/DesignThis is a multicentre, pragmatic, parallel group randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a two-day Self-Management education for epILEpsy (SMILE (UK)), which was originally developed in Germany (MOSES).Four hundred and twenty eight adult patients who attended specialist epilepsy outpatient clinics at 15 NHS participating sites in the previous 12 months, and who fulfil other eligibility criteria will be randomised to receive the intervention (SMILE (UK) course with treatment as usual- TAU) or to have TAU only (control). The primary outcome is the effect on patient reported quality of life (QoL). Secondary outcomes are seizure frequency and psychological distress (anxiety and depression), perceived impact of epilepsy, adherence to medication, management of adverse effects from medication, and improved self-efficacy in management (mastery/control) of epilepsy.Within the trial there will be a nested qualitative study to explore users’ views of the intervention, including barriers to participation and the perceived benefits of the intervention. The cost-effectiveness of the intervention will also be assessed.DiscussionThis study will provide quantitative and qualitative evidence of the impact of a structured self management programme on quality of life and other aspects of clinical and cost effectiveness in adults with poorly controlled epilepsy.Trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials: ISRCTN57937389.