The emergency department is a common point of medical intervention for epilepsy patients. We recognize there are more than one million visits to the emergency department every year for epilepsy-related seizures . These visits are not only a significant cost to the healthcare system, but also often leave patients with questions and unease related to their epilepsy diagnosis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has also recognized epilepsy as a public health challenge where patients need more skills and resources to manage their condition effectively. That’s why UCB Inc. is working with Indiana University School of Nursing to address existing gaps in care when it comes to emergency department visits and epilepsy care.
 

Many patients and their families rely on the information and education they receive in the emergency department setting to make important epilepsy-related decisions and to manage their care effectively. UCB Inc. is working with the Indiana University School of Nursing and associate professor, Wendy Miller PhD, RN, CNS, CCRN, FAAN, FAES, to address the current state of these resources and opportunities to improve their effectiveness for the benefit of patients and their families.

Dr. Miller’s research to date highlights that existing materials lack key components that make health education materials useful in self-management. To address this care gap, the research conducted by Indiana University School of Nursing will analyze existing educational materials being used in U.S. emergency rooms and epilepsy clinics to help UCB Inc. better understand educational content and delivery. Ultimately, this research will help create a self-management intervention for people newly diagnosed with epilepsy or experiencing their first seizure to support them as they navigate their care in the first year of their disease diagnosis. Following the analysis, UCB Inc. and Indiana University School of Nursing will develop a refreshed resource for epilepsy patients that can be tested in emergency department settings.

While UCB Inc. has developed educational resources to provide information on the epilepsy disease state in general, none have been specifically designed to address the unique types of barriers to care and breakdowns in the healthcare system upon emergency department discharge. Given the negative impact this gap in care has on patients and their caregivers, we are looking forward to the results of this research enabling UCB Inc. to help develop more informative and directive emergency department discharge resource for patients and caregivers.