The Economic and societal burden associated with drug-resistant epilepsy in the Netherlands: an AIM@EPILEPSY burden-of-disease study protocol

Background Living with epilepsy, especially drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE), imposes several challenges for people diagnosed with the condition. These challenges include the physical and mental implications of epilepsy on both caregivers and patients with epilepsy. For the more than 120 000 individual...

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Main Authors: Ruud Houben, Ghislaine A P G van Mastrigt, Albert Colon, Silvia Evers, Olaf E M G Schijns, Marian H J M Majoie, Darin Elabbasy, Laura M’Rabet, Vivianne H J M van Kranen-Mastenbroek, Daniëlle B P Eekers, Marc Hendriks
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2025-07-01
Series:BMJ Open
Online Access:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/7/e095123.full
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author Ruud Houben
Ghislaine A P G van Mastrigt
Albert Colon
Silvia Evers
Olaf E M G Schijns
Marian H J M Majoie
Darin Elabbasy
Laura M’Rabet
Vivianne H J M van Kranen-Mastenbroek
Daniëlle B P Eekers
Marc Hendriks
author_facet Ruud Houben
Ghislaine A P G van Mastrigt
Albert Colon
Silvia Evers
Olaf E M G Schijns
Marian H J M Majoie
Darin Elabbasy
Laura M’Rabet
Vivianne H J M van Kranen-Mastenbroek
Daniëlle B P Eekers
Marc Hendriks
author_sort Ruud Houben
collection DOAJ
description Background Living with epilepsy, especially drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE), imposes several challenges for people diagnosed with the condition. These challenges include the physical and mental implications of epilepsy on both caregivers and patients with epilepsy. For the more than 120 000 individuals living with this neurological disorder in the Netherlands, along with their families, daily activities become hazardous, limited and costly, significantly affecting their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). As data on the burden of epilepsy in the Netherlands are lacking, studies attempting to capture the impact of epilepsy on individuals, caregivers and society are needed to enhance understanding and help address the burden of epileptic seizures.Methods and analysis The study is part of the AIM@EPILEPSY project. The project aims to develop a planning suite enabling cost-saving, minimally invasive treatment for epilepsy. By surveying 330 people with epilepsy and an anticipated sample of 150–200 informal caregivers across the Netherlands, using standardised questionnaires focusing on associated societal costs and the impact on HRQoL, this bottom-up, prevalence-based prospective study aims to understand the societal burden of DRE in the Netherlands. The data will be collected at 0, 3, 6 and 12 months of follow-up. The study results will describe the economic impact of epilepsy, focusing on cost-of-illness (€) and HRQoL (utilities) in the Netherlands.Ethics and dissemination  The proposed study was approved by the Maastricht University Medical Ethics Review Committee (Approval reference: FHML-REC/2024/067/Amendment/2024_16). The result of the study is planned to be published in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at international and local scientific conferences.
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spelling doaj-art-13669ae1daf241ccb14e4f0048fb7e922025-08-20T02:47:06ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552025-07-0115710.1136/bmjopen-2024-095123The Economic and societal burden associated with drug-resistant epilepsy in the Netherlands: an AIM@EPILEPSY burden-of-disease study protocolRuud Houben0Ghislaine A P G van Mastrigt1Albert Colon2Silvia Evers3Olaf E M G Schijns4Marian H J M Majoie5Darin Elabbasy6Laura M’Rabet7Vivianne H J M van Kranen-Mastenbroek8Daniëlle B P Eekers9Marc Hendriks10Department of Radiation Oncology (Maastro), GROW School for Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University Medical Centre+, Maastricht, Limburg, The NetherlandsDepartment of Health Services Research, Maastricht University Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht, Limburg, The NetherlandsAcademic Center for Epileptology, Maastricht University Medical Center and Kempenhaeghe, Heeze and Maastricht, The NetherlandsDepartment of Health Services Research, Maastricht University Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht, Limburg, The NetherlandsAcademic Center for Epileptology, Maastricht University Medical Center and Kempenhaeghe, Heeze and Maastricht, The NetherlandsAcademic Center for Epileptology, Maastricht University Medical Center and Kempenhaeghe, Heeze and Maastricht, The NetherlandsDepartment of Health Services Research, Maastricht University Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht, Limburg, The NetherlandsMT Member Knowledge and Innovation, EpilepsieNL, Utrecht, The NetherlandsAcademic Center for Epileptology, Maastricht University Medical Center and Kempenhaeghe, Heeze and Maastricht, The NetherlandsDepartment of Radiation Oncology (Maastro), GROW School for Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University Medical Centre+, Maastricht, Limburg, The NetherlandsAcademic Center for Epileptology, Maastricht University Medical Center and Kempenhaeghe, Heeze and Maastricht, The NetherlandsBackground Living with epilepsy, especially drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE), imposes several challenges for people diagnosed with the condition. These challenges include the physical and mental implications of epilepsy on both caregivers and patients with epilepsy. For the more than 120 000 individuals living with this neurological disorder in the Netherlands, along with their families, daily activities become hazardous, limited and costly, significantly affecting their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). As data on the burden of epilepsy in the Netherlands are lacking, studies attempting to capture the impact of epilepsy on individuals, caregivers and society are needed to enhance understanding and help address the burden of epileptic seizures.Methods and analysis The study is part of the AIM@EPILEPSY project. The project aims to develop a planning suite enabling cost-saving, minimally invasive treatment for epilepsy. By surveying 330 people with epilepsy and an anticipated sample of 150–200 informal caregivers across the Netherlands, using standardised questionnaires focusing on associated societal costs and the impact on HRQoL, this bottom-up, prevalence-based prospective study aims to understand the societal burden of DRE in the Netherlands. The data will be collected at 0, 3, 6 and 12 months of follow-up. The study results will describe the economic impact of epilepsy, focusing on cost-of-illness (€) and HRQoL (utilities) in the Netherlands.Ethics and dissemination  The proposed study was approved by the Maastricht University Medical Ethics Review Committee (Approval reference: FHML-REC/2024/067/Amendment/2024_16). The result of the study is planned to be published in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at international and local scientific conferences.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/7/e095123.full
spellingShingle Ruud Houben
Ghislaine A P G van Mastrigt
Albert Colon
Silvia Evers
Olaf E M G Schijns
Marian H J M Majoie
Darin Elabbasy
Laura M’Rabet
Vivianne H J M van Kranen-Mastenbroek
Daniëlle B P Eekers
Marc Hendriks
The Economic and societal burden associated with drug-resistant epilepsy in the Netherlands: an AIM@EPILEPSY burden-of-disease study protocol
BMJ Open
title The Economic and societal burden associated with drug-resistant epilepsy in the Netherlands: an AIM@EPILEPSY burden-of-disease study protocol
title_full The Economic and societal burden associated with drug-resistant epilepsy in the Netherlands: an AIM@EPILEPSY burden-of-disease study protocol
title_fullStr The Economic and societal burden associated with drug-resistant epilepsy in the Netherlands: an AIM@EPILEPSY burden-of-disease study protocol
title_full_unstemmed The Economic and societal burden associated with drug-resistant epilepsy in the Netherlands: an AIM@EPILEPSY burden-of-disease study protocol
title_short The Economic and societal burden associated with drug-resistant epilepsy in the Netherlands: an AIM@EPILEPSY burden-of-disease study protocol
title_sort economic and societal burden associated with drug resistant epilepsy in the netherlands an aim epilepsy burden of disease study protocol
url https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/7/e095123.full
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