BACKGROUND: Epilepsy monitoring units (EMUs) provide a safe environment for forming a more illustrative understanding of the patient’s seizure disorder. Patients are admitted to EMUs usually for several days at a time. Upon admission, electroencephalogram (EEG) electrodes are placed and patients are continuously watched via EEG, video, and audio means. By weaning patients off anti-epileptic medications and monitoring brain activity with EEGs, the data will typically allow for a stronger appreciation of the seizure activity. Therefore, it will provide information to develop a more targeted clinical approach for the patient.
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study is to gain a better understanding of patients’ expectations and experiences with being monitored for seizure activity in an EMU, especially during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic
METHODS: Patients were interviewed with regards to their inpatient EMU admission for continuous EEG monitoring at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC). Phone interviews were conducted both before and after the EMU admission for each patient, using a structured questionnaire that focused on topics such as proclaimed knowledge of personal seizure disorder, quality of life, EMU experience, and hospital admission during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patient responses were documented and analyzed in an exploratory manner to identify relevant themes. The study was conducted according to a protocol approved by the BIDMC Committee on Clinical Investigations.
RESULTS: From September 2020 through December 2020, 15 patients were enrolled and interviewed (11 female; age range 26-68 years [median 48]; length of stay range 2-12 days [median 5]). The majority of the population was admitted for event capture or seizure characterization (13/15) and had a history of seizure activity (14/15). The majority of patients had a history of focal seizures (12). Only 4/15 patients had a family history of seizures. Overall, patients felt extremely comfortable speaking with providers. A third (4/12) did not have any notable negative experiences. There were no overarching patterns to the negative experiences that were reported; most responses were specific to the individual. The vast majority (83.3%) applauded providers and staff involved in their EMU admission.
CONCLUSIONS: Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, epilepsy patients had mostly positive experiences with their EMU hospitalization at BIDMC. Continuous EEG monitoring remains an important aspect of clinical epilepsy evaluation for some patients, and was a feasible and well-tolerated procedure even during pandemic-altered circumstances.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bu.edu/oai:open.bu.edu:2144/43325 |
| Date | 09 November 2021 |
| Creators | Bailey, Brianna |
| Contributors | Symes, Karen |
| Source Sets | Boston University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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