Abstracts

Rationale: Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders which may negatively impact an individual’s quality of life. There are however, multiple factors to consider when assessing patients with epilepsy. These may include medical as well as psychosocial factors. In this study we assessed the medical and social needs of our adult epilepsy patient population to identify factors that may impair their quality of life. Methods: A pilot study was conducted at a university-based adult epilepsy clinic to explore the needs of patients with epilepsy. Patients were offered to complete an anonymous survey that collected information on demographics (age, gender, race, and household income),six medical (medications, memory, mental wellbeing, mobility, pain and sleep), and six social needs (community services, employment, family/social support, finances, legal issues and transportation). Patients were instructed to identify their top three areas of concern. Data analysis included calculation of frequencies and logistic regression models to examine the relationship of demographic variables and medical or social needs of the patients. Results: A total of 109 patients (men:32%, women:68%) completed the survey. Mean age of the patients was 42 years (SD=14), and majority of them were Caucasians (72%). Total household income was <$20,000 in 47%, and ranged between $20,000 and $50,000 in other 39% of the patients. Frequencies of patients that selected a medical need in their list of top three concerns were as follows: medications (49%), memory (34%), mental well being (25%), sleep (25%), pain (24%), and mobility (21%). Similarly, frequencies for social needs were as follows: finances (36%), transportation (23%), employment (18%), family/social support (17%), community services (12%), and legal issues (8%). Women more frequently than men reported medications as a top concern (80% vs. 21%). No gender differences were observed in the selection of other medical or social needs. Women were more likely to report medications (p=0.011) and older patients were more likely to report mobility (p=0.014) as areas of greatest concern.