Patient Perceptions of a Seizure Dog in the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit
Abstract number :
2.01
Submission category :
3. Neurophysiology / 3A. Video EEG Epilepsy-Monitoring
Year :
2023
Submission ID :
840
Source :
www.aesnet.org
Presentation date :
12/3/2023 12:00:00 AM
Published date :
Authors :
Presenting Author: Danny Zhu, Current undergraduate student working toward BS – Portland State University + Oregon Health Science University
Lia Erst, MD – Associate Professor of Neurology, School of Medicine, Oregon Health Science University; Marissa Kellogg, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.E.S – Assistant Professor of Neurology, School of Medicine, Oregon Health Science University; Matthew McCaskill, D.O., MFA – Assistant Professor of Neurology, School of Medicine, Oregon Health Science University
Rationale: Seizure dogs are a type of service dogs that are specially-trained to respond to and/or detect seizures in people with epilepsy (PWE). Early evidence demonstrates that PWE releases certain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) (i.e., pheromones) immediately before, during, and after seizures. In this study, patients are surveyed regarding their perceptions about seizure and service dogs before and (when possible) after interacting with a service dog who has been trained to detect ictal VOCs and respond to seizures (Maa, E. H., Arnold, J., & Bush, C. K. (2021). Epilepsy and the smell of fear. Epilepsy & behavior : E&B, 121(Pt A), 108078.). The goal is to evaluate the tolerability and safety of having a seizure dog interact with patients in the epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU).
Methods: Prospective cross-sectional survey study to assess patient perceptions around the presence of a seizure dog in the EMU and beliefs about the dog’s ability to detect seizures before and after interaction with a seizure dog. Inclusion criteria: all consecutive patients admitted to the OHSU Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU). All study subjects were given a questionnaire prior to interacting with the seizure dog. The subset of subjects who interacted with the dog during their admission also received a post-survey. Results were compiled and analyzed in Excel.
Results: To date, 56 subjects completed the pre-survey and 17 of the 56 completed the post-survey. The median for participant’s age was 34 with ages ranging from 18 to 78 years old; 55% indicated they currently own or live with a dog. All participants indicated a positive attitude towards the dog. All of the participants indicated feeling “extremely comfortable” with a service dog being present. A total of 88% of participants in the post survey indicated they felt “ok to have physical contact with the service dog” or had “no preference” regarding the distance from the dog. In terms of training capability, 79% of participants believed dogs can be “trained to smell seizures,” 91% believed dogs can be “trained to respond to the emotional state of their owner,” and 91% believed dogs can be “trained to respond to the behavior or actions of their owners.” All participants felt there was a role for service dogs in the hospital setting. In post-surveys, no participants reported a negative experience with the dog, and there were no safety concerns.
Conclusions: This study provides preliminary evidence that seizure dogs are well-tolerated and welcomed by patients in the EMU setting. The next phase of the study is to determine the seizure dog’s accuracy in identifying epileptic seizures versus different types of seizure-like spells.
Funding: No funding
Neurophysiology