Identifying the educational needs of physicians in pediatric epilepsy in order to improve care: results from a needs assessment in Germany, Spain, and the United States

Abstract

Aims. The objective of this study was to gather evidence-based data on the educational needs of neuropediatricians. A needs assessment was conducted to identify the clinical challenges of physicians when diagnosing, medically treating, and managing pediatric patients with epilepsy; which could be addressed through educational interventions. Methods. A two-phase mixed-methods approach was used to conduct the needs assessment in Germany, Spain, and the US. Phase 1 consisted of qualitative data collection through multiple sources: a literature review, semi-structured interviews with clinicians and nurses working in pediatric epilepsy, and interpretation and input from faculty experts. Qualitative data were coded (NVivo) and analyzed using a thematic analysis, and findings were then used to design the second phase. Phase 2 consisted of quantitative data collection through an online survey that aimed to validate the identified challenges and underlying causes using a larger sample than in Phase 1. Data from the survey were analyzed using frequency tabulations and chi-square tests (SPSS). Results.A total of 267 participants were included in the study. Phase 1 included 88 participants (neurologists, pediatricians, neuropediatricians, and nurses). Phase 2 included 179 participants (neurologists, pediatricians, and neuropediatricians). The main areas of challenge which emerged from the triangulated data included: the integration of guidelines into practice, identification of epilepsy and epilepsy events, integration of genetic testing into practice, integration of non-pharmacological treatments, transition from pediatric to adult care, and involvement and engagement with caregivers. Underlying causes of these challenges are reported, along with supporting qualitative findings.Conclusions. This study identified the educational needs of physicians working in pediatric epilepsy in Germany, Spain and the USA. Increasingly, educational interventions are required to be evidence-based. The results of this study could be used to design such interventions to support neuropediatricians who wish to specialize in pediatric epileptology, in order to manage the identified challenges.

Needs and challenges among physicians and researchers in thrombosis and hemostasis: Results from an international study

“…Answers to the online survey (phase 2) were analyzed using SPSS software (version 22.0, IBM Corporation, Armonk, NY) and consisted of frequency tables and cross‐tabulations. Participants’ answers were dichotomized to identify potential areas of improvement, similar to methods used in previous needs assessments . More detail on this process is provided in Data S1.…”

“…Participants' answers were dichotomized to identify potential areas of improvement, similar to methods used in previous needs assessments. 23,24 More detail on this process is provided in Data S1.…”

Roadmap for a competency‐based educational curriculum in epileptology: report of the Epilepsy Education Task Force of the International League Against Epilepsy

“…As a first step, EpiEd developed a catalogue of competencies, covering the spectrum of skills and knowledge for best medical practice, irrespective of economic, social or cultural background in a given patient (Mula et al, 2017;Carrizosa et al, 2018;Murray et al, 2018). In 2016, EpiEd launched a worldwide online survey addressing their entire constituency to approve the catalogue.…”

A journey into the unknown: An ethnographic examination of drug-resistant epilepsy treatment and management in the United States

“…Drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) poses an increased risk of hospitalizations, medication non-adherence, and poor quality of life (QoL) [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. A multitude of factors could account for why patients have unaddressed DRE, such as gaps in disease education, socioeconomic and societal limitations to healthcare access, lack of care-giver involvement, and healthcare provider (HCP) reluctance to move beyond pharmacological therapies, among others [12,13]. Furthermore, HCP knowledge gaps can lead to underestimations of the damage incurred by DRE and an overestimation of the risks of surgery [14].…”