Date of Publication
2023
Project Team
Mary Val Palumbo DNP, APRN
Abstract
Background: Medication interactions between anti-epileptic drugs and oral combination contraception place women with epilepsy at risk for seizures and unintended pregnancy. Significant numbers of patients in this population are not educated about this risk and continue to take medications concurrently that interact.
Methods: At an academic medical center in Northeast America, patients who had a new patient visit with an epileptologist and met inclusion criteria were invited to participate in a telehealth educational intervention. Inclusion criteria included capacity for pregnancy, a diagnosis of epilepsy, and the capacity to engage intellectually and technically in the intervention. The intervention included a fifteen-minute education video on the topics of contraception, pre-conception planning, pregnancy, and caring for an infant as a person with epilepsy. The program was offered as a telehealth synchronous presentation and asynchronous recording. Patients with a person who assists them in epilepsy management were also invited to participate. A post-survey evaluated knowledge gain and satisfaction.
Results: There were 64 charts eligible for review, and 15 patients were eligible and invited to participate. Two patients and one patient support person took the post-survey. Reasons for ineligibility included: No diagnosis of epilepsy, diagnoses of non-epileptic seizures, inability to participate due to intellectual disability, patients no longer managed by the provider, non-English speaking patients, patients no longer retaining reproductive organs, lack of technological requirements.
Conclusion: Less than one-quarter of the new female
were eligible; of those eligible, only two completed the post-survey. Additional PDSA cycles are needed to increase the impact of the project.
Document Type
Project
Recommended Citation
Hanoune Langston, Amel, "Epilepsy Education for New Female Patients" (2023). College of Nursing and Health Sciences Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Project Publications. 122.
https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/cnhsdnp/122