Current norms and practices in using a seizure diary for managing epilepsy: A scoping review
Background: Epilepsy is a chronic and debilitating condition affecting people of all ages in many nations. Healthcare practitioners look for effective ways to track patients’ seizures, and a seizure diary is one of the methods used. This scoping review sought to identify current norms and practices...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
AOSIS
2022-09-01
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| Series: | South African Family Practice |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/5540 |
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| Summary: | Background: Epilepsy is a chronic and debilitating condition affecting people of all ages in many nations. Healthcare practitioners look for effective ways to track patients’ seizures, and a seizure diary is one of the methods used. This scoping review sought to identify current norms and practices for using seizure diaries to manage epilepsy.
Method: A scoping review was performed by screening relevant studies and identifying themes, categories and subcategories.
Results: A total of 1125 articles were identified from the database; 46 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility, of which 23 articles were selected. The majority (48%) of the studies were prospective studies. The majority (65%) of the articles were studies conducted in the United States. The themes identified were types of seizure diaries used in clinical practice, contents and structure of a standardised seizure diary, the use and efficacy of seizure diaries in medicine and challenges relating to using a seizure diary for patient management.
Conclusion: The study revealed that a seizure diary remains a relevant tool in managing epilepsy. The two forms of diaries in use are electronic and paper-based diaries. The high cost of data and the expensive devices required to access electronic diaries make it unsuitable in a resource-limited setting. Despite its disadvantages, imperfections and inadequacies, the paper-based diary is still relevant for managing patients with epilepsy in resource-limited settings.
Contribution: This study reviewed the literature to find the current norms and practices in using seizure diaries. The benefits of the different formats were emphasised. |
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| ISSN: | 2078-6190 2078-6204 |