Effective Strategies to Improve Epilepsy Nursing Knowledge Prior to the Development of an Epilepsy Monitoring Unit at a Community Hospital
Abstract number :
3.330
Submission category :
12. Health Services
Year :
2010
Submission ID :
13342
Source :
www.aesnet.org
Presentation date :
12/3/2010 12:00:00 AM
Published date :
Dec 2, 2010, 06:00 AM
Authors :
Wende Fedder, C. Musson and M. Smith
Rationale: Nursing knowledge of epilepsy is a critical component in the development of an Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU). Studies assessing baseline nurses knowledge of epilepsy are scarce. As part of the development of an EMU at a 300-bed community hospital, a 3-hour nurse focused epilepsy education program was provided by an epileptologist and an experienced epilepsy nurse from an associated Academic Medical Center (AMC). We report overall nursing knowledge of epilepsy before and after the education program. Methods: Ten medical and surgical nurses with an average of 13.9 years experience attended the epilepsy training course. The course included epilepsy case presentations, an overview of a nurses role in the EMU, seizure documentation, epilepsy nursing assessment, observation of report at shift change, and a tour of the EMU monitoring room. A knowledge questionnaire was provided before and after the course to compare knowledge of epilepsy. Results: 10/10 nurses took the pre-test and 7/10 took the post test. Of those that took the pre-test, 38% (10/26) of the questions were scored incorrectly. Questions that were commonly scored incorrectly prior to the course were: 1. percentage of population with seizure activity, 2. description of seizures as stereotypical and paroxysmal and 3. percentage of patients who have adequate control of their seizures. Of the 7/10 nurses who took the post test, 23% (6/26) of the questions were scored incorrectly. Questions that were commonly scored incorrectly after the training course were: 1. Common age of epilepsy onset, 2. medications used to treat serial seizures and 3. percentage of patients who have adequate control of their seizures. Conclusions: Baseline epilepsy knowledge is essential to the delivery of quality patient care in the EMU. After the training course, trends toward increased knowledge of epilepsy were reached. However, despite the highly experienced medical surgical nursing staff, and their attendance at the epilepsy training course, epilepsy knowledge deficits were identified. As a result, further educational courses will be given prior to the opening of the EMU.
Health Services