Initial Perspectives from Midwestern Neurologists: Epilepsy Patients' Barriers and Motivators for Seeking Treatment

Hawley, Suzanne R.; Paschal, Angelia M.; Ablah, Elizabeth; Romain, Theresa St.; Liow, Kore; Molgaard, Craig A.

doi:10.1111/j.1528-1167.2006.01137.x

Cited by 20 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…They were concerned about the seizures and their effect on various aspects of the lives of children, and also about long term side effects of AEDs. According to existing literature awareness about epilepsy is generally poor, 18e21 particularly with regard to certain aspects of epilepsy 18,22,23 like etiology, use and administration of AEDs, 24 and emergency management of seizures. 25 The findings of our study is at variance with a Sudanese KAP study in which only 30% of the respondents knew epilepsy as a brain disorder.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge, attitude and practice of parents regarding pediatric antiepileptic drug therapy

Shaju

Vinayan

Abraham

2014

International Journal of Epilepsy

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Objectives To evaluate the parental knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) regarding the antiepileptic medication therapy in childhood. Methods This study was carried out over a period of 10 months in the division of Pediatric Neurology of Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences. The cohort of patients was selected randomly meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Parents' KAP regarding epilepsy and antiepileptic drug therapy was assessed using a questionnaire prepared by the authors and patient adherence towards antiepileptic drug therapy by using Pediatric Epilepsy Self-Management Questionnaire (PEMSQ). Results A total of 123 patients were selected and enrolled in the study. Seventy eight percent of the respondents knew that epilepsy is a brain disorder, while only 6% of them were aware about all the treatment options. The scoring in the domain of “Disease and Treatment Knowledge & Expectations of parents” was found to be significantly low (69.07%) when compared to other domains in the PEMSQ. Although socioeconomic status did not correlate with knowledge score of the parents (p = 0.216), it was significantly related to adherence (p = 0.042). Conclusion In this cohort, even though the parents had a fair knowledge about the nature of epilepsy, they were found to be less aware about its characteristics, causes and prognosis. The awareness about the nature and duration of treatment, its objectives, use of drugs, their side effects and importance of adherence to drug regimen was found to be significantly low with a potential for affecting the therapeutic outcome. Special awareness programs for parents of children with epilepsy may be needed to reduce the knowledge gaps in the management of epilepsy and to ensure compliance and optimal therapeutic outcomes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge, attitude and practice of parents regarding pediatric antiepileptic drug therapy

Shaju

Vinayan

Abraham

2014

International Journal of Epilepsy

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“…Health staff educates PWE and their relatives to enhance motivation and confidence in taking antiepileptic drugs and to decrease the level of stigma [3]. Nurses and non-medical health workers are often the only health staff available to diagnose PWE [4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is insufficient knowledge of epilepsy the reason for low levels of healthcare in the Lao PDR?

Harimanana

Chivorakul

Souvong

et al. 2013

BMC Health Serv Res

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BackgroundThe treatment gap for epilepsy is considerable in low and middle-income countries. In the Lao PDR it is estimated at over 90%. Health workers play a significant role in bridging the gap between people with epilepsy (PWE) and access to epilepsy care. In a national survey we assessed: 1) the knowledge and practices of health workers in the Lao PDR towards the disease, and, 2) patient attendance at health facilities.MethodsWe conducted a random three-stage sampling of health workers at the provincial, district and health center levels in 2009.ResultsOverall, 284 health workers were enrolled in 50 health facilities of 11 provinces: health centers 24.7%; district hospitals 23.2%; and province hospitals 52.1%. Only a minority of these (2.5%) recalled ever having received training or seeking information on epilepsy. Our survey showed a lack of knowledge in diagnosing and prescribing drugs for epilepsy, including phenobarbital, the first-line of treatment. The majority of respondents (59.9%) was unaware of the availability of antiepileptic drugs in health facilities. Only 10 (20%) health facilities, and no health centres, received people with epilepsy. It was estimated that one PWE per month receives medical attention. Traditional beliefs about PWE were common; such as the idea that epilepsy could be transmitted through saliva (63.2%). A higher attendance of PWE was observed in province hospitals where the knowledge of epilepsy care was higher. Global acceptance of people with epilepsy was low.ConclusionsThe low level of knowledge of epilepsy on the part of health workers may be contributing to the wide treatment gap in the Lao PDR. Improving knowledge of this disease and increasing the availability of antiepileptic drugs will reduce misconceptions about epilepsy, thus encouraging more PWE to seek treatment. Community-based educational programs and extensive advocacy for people with epilepsy only began in 2009.

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“…28 It is important that healthcare providers recognize a patient's need for epilepsy information to avoid treatment barriers that result from poor patient-provider communication. 29 Previous research found that non-epilepsy patients forget half of what they have been told in a medical consultation after 5 min and only 20% retain such information. 30 Improvements of 50% in retention occur when supplemental printed information is given to patients.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A health literacy assessment of the epilepsy.com website

Elliott

Shneker

2009

Seizure

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Current healthcare guidelines identify low health literacy as a major barrier to optimal health communication. Health literacy is defined as the degree to which individuals can obtain, process and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions. An estimated 90 million people in the U.S. have marginal health literacy. The Institute of Medicine and the U.S. Department of Education recommend that health related information be written at the 6th-8th grade level to address low health literacy. Epidemiological studies demonstrate that persons with epilepsy have significantly lower educational attainment and lower incomes placing them at risk for low health literacy and limited Internet access. While Internet users tend to have higher educational attainment, previous research indicates even good readers prefer simpler rather than more complex medical information. Health educational content that could be printed and given to patients addresses an important need in clinical epilepsy care. Previous reviews of health websites found they exceed recommended readability levels. Two online programs were used to assess the reading level of 1327 web pages on the www.epilepsy.com website using established readability formulas. Based on the Flesch Reading Ease assessment, only 3% of epilepsy.com web pages are written for a 6th grade reading level or below. If 8th grade level or below is used as the standard, only 15% are adequate. Recommendations and examples are provided for improving the readability of epilepsy-specific health education content.

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Initial Perspectives from Midwestern Neurologists: Epilepsy Patients' Barriers and Motivators for Seeking Treatment

Cited by 20 publications

References 36 publications

Knowledge, attitude and practice of parents regarding pediatric antiepileptic drug therapy

Knowledge, attitude and practice of parents regarding pediatric antiepileptic drug therapy

Is insufficient knowledge of epilepsy the reason for low levels of healthcare in the Lao PDR?

A health literacy assessment of the epilepsy.com website

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