Improvements in European epilepsy surgery over time are modest but significant, including higher surgical volume, shorter disease duration, and improved postsurgical seizure outcomes. Early referral for evaluation is required to continue on this encouraging trend.

Bibliotherapy is a form of self-administered treatment in which structured materials provide a means to alleviate distress. Although the treatment has evidence of effectiveness, evaluations of bibliotherapy have typically focused on outcomes, and the perspectives of both the client and the service provider have been understudied. In the present study, eleven users of a bibliotherapy scheme were interviewed regarding their experiences of bibliotherapy. In addition, five referring practitioners to the scheme were also interviewed. Thematic analyses revealed three super-ordinate themes in the transcripts: participants' personal experiences of the bibliotherapy scheme factors that facilitate change and the influence of the professionals involved. The implications of these findings for bibliotherapy schemes are considered.

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Selection of junior doctors into the British neurosurgical training program and subsequent speciality training have undergone several key changes over the past decade. Shift patterns in the era of the European Working Time Directive (EWTD) have had a major impact on surgical training. We discuss the national selection process, formalization of surgical simulation training and the need to encompass generic professional capabilities within the neurosurgical curriculum in order to create the "well-rounded surgeon". Future directions including hybrid cerebrovascular training, training in stereotactic radiosurgery, and dedicated training opportunities in spinal surgery.