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Epilepsy
101 For
Nurses
For Nurses Caring for
People with Epilepsy
American Epilepsy Society, 2013
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Aims
This program has been developed to prepare
professional nurses, in a variety of settings to:
 Address overall information about epilepsy and
seizures to help care for people with epilepsy
in the general hospital and community settings
 Introduces a level of learning for neurology
nurses that are seeking additional information
on specialty practices and care
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Overview Curriculum of Epilepsy 101
This program of study has 4 self-paced learning
modules:
Basics of Epilepsy for Nurses
 Recognition and Care of Seizures and Emergencies
 Overview of Treatment Options
 Patient Education and Self-Management Approaches

There
is an option for the participant to listen to
audio synced to PowerPoint presentation, along with
the option to download the modules in PDF format
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Objectives of Module One:
Upon completion of Module One-the participant
will:
Describe
the role of nursing in epilepsy
care
Review
the common causes and
consequences of seizures
Define
the spectrum of nursing care for
people with epilepsy
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Nurse-Patient Relationship
 People
with epilepsy may come in contact
with nurses from diverse settings and with
different educational backgrounds and
expertise
 The
nurse-patient relationship may vary in
relation to the setting and the patient’s
needs
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Spectrum of Nursing Care –
Epilepsy Specific
 Advanced
practice nurses on neurology or
epilepsy units
 Nurses
providing direct patient care and education
in a clinic setting or on epilepsy monitoring units
 Research
 Nurses
nurses and nurse researchers
in other acute care settings
 Neurology, medical and surgical units
 Emergency room nurses
 Intensive care units
 Operating and recovery room
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Spectrum of Nursing CareOther Health Needs
 Primary
care practices
 Women’s
 Wellness
health - gynecology, obstetrics
clinics – occupational, urgent
care, pharmacy-based
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Spectrum of Nursing Care –
Community/Independent Living
 Schools, camps
 Long-term
care facilities- assisted living
facilities, rehabilitation and nursing home
facilities
 Independent
 Group
living programs
homes, day programs
 Vocational
programs
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Nursing Practice
 The
role of epilepsy nurses varies
depending on practice setting- inpatient,
outpatient, ICU
 Core
focus is the same
 Identifying
 Assessing
 Educating
 Understanding the impact the disorder
has on function and quality of life
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Epilepsy Prevalence/Incidence
 2.2
million Americans and > 65 million people
worldwide have epilepsy
 300,000
have a first convulsion each year
120,000 under 18 years of age
 ~ 1 in 26 people will develop epilepsy during their
lifetime

 150,000
year


:
new cases of epilepsy diagnosed each
Highest incidence in young children and older adults
65-70% of new cases have no obvious cause
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Definitions
 A seizure is:
A symptom of a disturbance in the brain,
 Caused by abnormal electrical discharges in the
brain.

 Epilepsy means that:
A
person has had 2 or more seizures, separated
by at least 24 hours
 The seizures are unprovoked and not caused by
any known medical condition
 A person has a tendency to recurring seizures.
 The term seizure disorder is the same as
epilepsy.
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Incidence of Epilepsy by Age
Hauser WA. Epilepsia. 1992;33:S6-S14.
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Causes of Epilepsy
Annegers JF. The epidemiology of epilepsy. In: Wyllie E, ed. The Treatment of Epilepsy: Principles and Practice. 2001:131138
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Causes of Epilepsy by Age
 Infancy
and Childhood
- Birth injury
- Inborn errors of metabolism
- Congenital malformations
 Childhood
and Adolescence
- Idiopathic-Cryptogenic/genetic
- CNS infection
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Causes of Epilepsy by Age
 Adolescence
and Young Adult
- Head trauma
- Drug intoxication/withdrawal (acute sz)
 Older
Adult
- Stroke
- Brain tumor
- Acute metabolic disturbances (acute seizure)
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Post-Traumatic Epilepsy
 Epilepsy
 Head
arising as a result of head trauma
trauma may be subtle or severe
 Extent
& location of injury may increase likelihood
of developing seizures
 2 types of seizures -early/acute & delayed onset
 Early
treatment with anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs)
may not affect the development of seizures later on
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Epilepsy Risk Factors
 Intellectual
or other
developmental
disability
 Cerebral
Palsy
 Anoxia
 CNS
hemorrhage
 CNS
infection,
neurocystercosis
 Dementia
 Autism
 Brain
 Stroke
 Family
 Major
head trauma
 Birth
tumor, tubers
history
injury
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Seizure Triggers
 Non-adherence
 Sleep
deprivation
 Stress
(good or bad)
 Accident/injury
 Concurrent
 Menses
illness (fever)
or hormonal changes
 Alcohol/drugs
 Specific
stimuli (photosensitivity, reflex epilepsy)
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Mortality
 Risk
of death higher in people with epilepsy
 10 years of life lost for people with known cause of
seizures
 2 years of life lost for those with unknown cause of
seizures
 Approximately
42,000 deaths are caused by epilepsy
annually
rate associated with seizures lasting  30
minutes may be as high as 19%
 Vast majority of deaths occur in people with seizure
in the context of an acute brain insult, hypoxia,
trauma, etc.
 Mortality
.
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Additional Causes of Death in
Epilepsy
 Life-threatening
injuries
 Drowning
 Status
epilepticus
 Sudden
 Suicide
unexplained death in epilepsy (SUDEP)
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Sudden Death in Epilepsy
(SUDEP)
 SUDEP
 applies
to a sudden death in someone known to
have epilepsy, in the absence of an obvious
cause for the death
 Numbers
vary
 1 in 10,000 of newly diagnosed
 9 of 1,000 candidates for epilepsy surgery
A Spectrum of Severity
Uncomplicated epilepsy,
Seizures controlled with
medication
Seizures refractory to
treatment; Epilepsy is disabling
due to frequent seizures
and other problems
Increase risk of SUDEP
Seizures not completely controlled by treatment;
Epilepsy lowers standard of living due to social,
emotional, and educational problems