Impact of Epilepsy Monitoring Unit Admission on Emergency Department Visit Reduction
Abstract number :
2.116
Submission category :
3. Neurophysiology / 3A. Video EEG Epilepsy-Monitoring
Year :
2024
Submission ID :
181
Source :
www.aesnet.org
Presentation date :
12/8/2024 12:00:00 AM
Published date :
Authors :
Presenting Author: Erica Dowell, NP – Inova Fairfax Hospital
Anne Giles, NP – Inova Fairfax Hospital
Yun Fang, MS – Inova Fairfax Hospital
Mohankumar Kurukumbi, MD, FAES – Inova Fairfax Hopstial
Rationale: Epilepsy, a chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent, unprovoked seizures, often necessitates emergency department (ED) visits due to seizure-related complications. Epilepsy Monitoring Units (EMUs) provide specialized, inpatient observation and management for epilepsy patients, potentially reducing emergency utilization. This study aims to evaluate the impact of EMU admission on the reduction of ED visits.
Methods: : A retrospective medical record review of 612 EMU patients was performed, comparing the frequency of ED visits for seizure behavior before and after EMU admission. The assumption was that the patients would present to Inova EDs for any seizure like activity.
Results: The study included 612 patients admitted to the EMU between 2021 and 2023. The frequency of ED visits one year prior to EMU admission was compared to the frequency of ED visits for one year post EMU admission. A paired T-Test showed a highly statistically significant decrease in the number of ED visits post-EMU admission compared to pre-EMU admission. Before EMU admission was 1.5 ± 1.0 (113) and after EMU admission was 0.3 ± 0.7 (113) with p-Value < .0001. The reduction was more significant in patients with frequent seizures.
Neurophysiology