Epilepsy Across the Spectrum: Promoting Health and Understanding
Presented by: Elizabeth Zank
Epilepsy 101
What is it?
Epilepsy is a neurological disorder in which a person has repeated seizures over time. Seizures are episodes of disturbed brain activity that cause changes in _______________ or _____________.
How common is it?
Epilepsy is the __________ most common neurological disorder in the United States
Common challenges associated with the condition
IOM Focus Areas
Data Collection
Research
Health policy, health care, and human services
Education for providers, the public, and people who have epilepsy (and their families)
Data Collection
Problem: Current data sources limit the ability to understand, plan, and guide policies related to health care for people with epilepsy.
Data collected through public surveillance efforts help to give a better understanding of a health condition: its severity, risk factors, onset, and outcomes.
Improvements are necessary: Recommendations 1 & 2
Recommendation 1 -- Validate and Implement Standard Definitions and Criteria for Epilepsy Case
Recommendation 2 -- Continue and Expand Collaborative Surveillance and Data Collection Efforts
Prevention
Problem: Research questions and gaps remain where more complete information on epilepsy could provide a basis for prevention, including in public health, clinical care, education programs, and community efforts.
Primary prevention- prevention of disease or other disorder before it begins
Secondary prevention- early identification of disease/disorder once present in body before symptomatic
Recommendation 3 -- Develop and Evaluate Prevention Effort for Epilepsy and Its Consequences
Improving Healthcare
Problem: High quality health care for epilepsy cannot be provided on a population basis until problems of accessibility, efficiency, and equity are resolved
Recommendation 4 – Improve the Early Identification of Epilepsy and Its Co morbid Health Conditions
Recommendation 5 -- Develop and Implement a National Quality Measurement and Improvement Strategy for Epilepsy Care
Recommendation 6 – Establish Accreditation of Epilepsy Center and an Epilepsy Care Network
Recommendation 7 – Improve Health Professional Education about Epilepsy
