Dental students' knowledge and attitudes toward patients with epilepsy

Evaluation of the attitude and knowledge level of dentistry undergraduate and specialist students towards epilepsy patients

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this research, which was carried out at a faculty of Dentistry situated in Turkey, was to assess the differences in awareness, knowledge, and attitudes about epilepsy among preclinical and clinical undergraduate students as well as speciality students. Moreover, this study seeks to ascertain the adequacy of the curriculum and clinical training provided to dental students in the context of managing patients with epilepsy. The aim is to ensure a full grasp of the subject matter and the development of practical skills.

MATERIAL-METHOD

At order to facilitate the research done at the Faculty of Dentistry at Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University, Turkey, a comprehensive questionnaire including eight sections and a total of 60 questions was distributed to students at various stages of their dental education, including preclinical, clinical, and speciality students.

RESULT

The present study used a descriptive, cross-sectional methodology, including a total of 477 participants from various sections (preclinical, clinical, and speciality) within the Faculty of Dentistry at Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University. When examining the overall understanding of epilepsy, a statistically significant difference was discovered across the various groups. It is noteworthy that a substantial proportion (68.4 %) of students specializing in a particular field displayed a high level of knowledge, which is in stark contrast to the percentages of clinical (40.5 %) and preclinical (29.4 %) students who exhibited similar levels of understanding.

CONCLUSION

This study conducted at a dental college in Turkey revealed a discernible gradient of knowledge, with speciality students exhibiting the greatest degree of knowledge, followed by clinical students, and subsequently preclinical students. In clinical settings, it was observed that students generally had a favorable disposition while interacting with individuals afflicted with epilepsy. Nevertheless, there was a prevailing sentiment of insufficient preparation and instruction. Hence, it is feasible to augment instructional lectures via the use of problem-based or simulation-based learning frameworks.

The effect of simulation-based education on childhood epileptic seizure management knowledge, skills, and attitudes of nursing students

BACKGROUND

Lack of knowledge about epileptic seizure management and negative attitudes toward children with epilepsy among nursing students may negatively affect the quality of healthcare services they deliver.

AIM

This study aimed to examine the effect of training given to nursing students using simulation and standard child mannequins on their childhood epileptic seizure management knowledge, skills, and attitudes.

METHODS

Participants (n = 72) were recruited from a Nursing Faculty in Izmir, Turkey. Students were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups (n = 36 in each). The intervention group received simulation-based training on epilepsy while the control group received standard child mannequin training on epilepsy. One week after the training, the students were asked to demonstrate their epileptic seizure management knowledge and skills on a simulation model or a standard child mannequin. During this process, they were observed and assessed by two independent observers on the basis of a list of epileptic seizure management skills. All participants completed the personal information form, the Epilepsy and Epileptic Seizure Management Knowledge Test, and the Epilepsy Knowledge and Attitude Scale before, and after the training, McNemar's test, repeated measure ANOVA (intravenous), dependent t-test, chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, independent t-test, Pearson's correlation analysis, and Pearson's chi-square test were used to compare the groups. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to evaluate the consistency between observers.

RESULTS

The epilepsy knowledge scale mean scores of both groups significantly increased after their respective trainings (p < 0.001), but the difference between the groups was not statistically significant (p = 0.829). There was no statistically significant difference between the pre- and posttraining epilepsy attitude scale mean scores of the control group (p = 0.630), however, a statistically significant increase was observed in the epilepsy attitude scale mean score of the intervention group (p = 0.008). In addition, both groups' self-confidence in epileptic seizure management significantly increased after the training (p = 0.000).

CONCLUSIONS

Simulation-based training was beneficial for students insofar as it helped them to develop positive attitudes toward epilepsy.

Marriage in epilepsy: The impact of the question in knowledge, attitude, and practice surveys

BACKGROUND

Knowledge, attitudes, and practice (KAP) questionnaire-based surveys have captured negative attitudes towards marriage involving people with epilepsy (PWE). The attitudes may vary according to the nature of the question posed, whether personal or generic, in addition to many other covariates.

METHODS

We carried out meta-proportion and -regression analyses of epilepsy-related KAP surveys published between 1970 and 2016 in the medical literature analysis retrieval system online (MEDLINE) database.

RESULTS

The pooled estimate of the proportion of those responding positively to the marriage question was 0.45 (95% confidence interval (_95%CI): 0.35 to 0.54; I²_res = 99.89%). The pooled proportion of positive responders to a personal question (0.40; _95%CI: 0.35 to 0.46) was significantly lower than those responding positively to a generic question (0.64; _95%CI: 0.57 to 0.70) (P = 0.001). When modeled individually in regression analyses, only the continent of origin of the survey (P = 0.001; tau²: 0.06; I²_res: 99.8%; adjusted R²: 11.4%) and subject population type (P = 0.02; tau²: 0.07; I²_res: 99.9%; adjusted R²: 4.2%) were associated with the pooled estimate of positive responders to the question on marriage.

CONCLUSIONS

Personal questions probing the possibility of marriage of self or family members to someone with epilepsy bring about negative attitudes more often than generic questions inquiring the marriage-worthiness of PWE.

A Survey of Epilepsy-related Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Home Healthcare Nurses in the San-in Region of Japan

Background

Comprehensive care is necessary for people with epilepsy (PWE) to lead a fulfilling life at home and in the community. The purpose of this study was to determine the epilepsy-related knowledge, attitudes and practices of home healthcare nurses (HHNs) in the San-in region of Japan.

Methods

A questionnaire survey was conducted by mail of 546 HHNs working in Tottori and Shimane Prefectures. The questionnaire assessed the epilepsy-related knowledge, attitudes and practices of HHNs. For the analysis, simple and cross tabulation of questionnaire responses were conducted, and the chi-squared test was used for statistical testing.

Results

A total of 285 HHNs participated in the study. Of the respondents, 43.9% had experience taking care of PWE in a home healthcare nursing setting. Regarding the cause of epilepsy, in descending order the percentage of correct responses were 86.7% for stroke, 85.3% for head injury, and only 13.3% for dementia. Concerning how to respond to an epileptic seizure, almost all respondents answered correctly, but 29.8% gave the incorrect answer of "place something inside the mouth." Regarding the practices of HHNs in relation to caring for PWE, nurses scored 52.0% for collaborating with the attending physician, indicating the need for improvement. The score for "provide information about social resources" was low at 18.4%. Of the respondents, 95.8% answered that epilepsy-related knowledge and technical skills were necessary for home healthcare nursing practice, and 87.7% were interested in participating in a workshop on epilepsy.

Conclusion

The study revealed an inadequate level of knowledge of epilepsy with dementia and corresponding epileptic seizures, a low awareness of nursing care in collaboration with physicians, and the importance of providing information about social resources. There is a need to offer information and education on the latest knowledge about epilepsy to HHNs.

Knowledge and Attitudes of Jordanian University Students Toward Epilepsy: A Cross-Sectional Comparison Study

People with epilepsy face stigma which arguably causes more suffering than the disease itself. The purpose of this study is to compare the knowledge and attitudes of nursing with nonnursing Jordanian university students toward epilepsy. A cross-sectional comparative, quantitative study was conducted. A newly structured questionnaire was developed to collect related data. The results revealed that there were 145(30.5%) nursing students and 331 (69.5%) nonnursing students with mean age of the participants was 22.9 years ( SD = 4.7) and 60% of them were men. Although the majority of the Jordanian university students were aware of epilepsy, their knowledge varied according to their major subject of study. Nursing students possessed a good knowledge of, and more positive attitudes toward, epilepsy compared with other nonnursing students. Therefore, universities are required to improve the knowledge of their students about epilepsy by integrating education about health and first aid course into their curriculum.

Dental care in patients with epilepsy: a survey of 82 patients and their attending dentists and neurologists in southern Germany

INTRODUCTION

The current study assessed the knowledge and attitudes of dentists and neurologists, and of their patients with epilepsy, in the catchment area of an outpatient clinic for epilepsy in southern Germany.

METHODS

One-hundred patients with epilepsy were asked to complete questionnaires about their dental treatment. Attitudes of their attending dentists and neurologists were also assessed.

RESULTS

Patients with epilepsy: The questionnaires were returned by 82% of patients. Of these, 84% regularly (once or twice a year) sought out a dentist, 79% reported their epilepsy to the dentist, 6% were refused treatment by a dentist because of their epilepsy, 10% had already experienced a seizure while at a dental office and 52% wished for more detailed information pretreatment. Dentists: Although 97% treated patients with epilepsy, 21% believed that their equipment was inappropriate for treating a patient experiencing seizures. The majority were not familiar with interactions between antibiotics/analgetics and anti-epileptic drugs. Short-term general anaesthesia was preferred for critical patients by 70% of dentists, 70% recommended dental ceramic for prosthetic reconstruction of anterior teeth and 64% would not recommend use of a removable denture. Neurologists: Sixty-two per cent were asked for advice by their patients, 71% knew about particular risks and interactions between antibiotics/analgetics and anti-epileptic drugs, 8% would stop valproic acid before extensive dental intervention and 92% recommended general anaesthesia in critical patients (uncooperative patients, patients with learning difficulties, and patients with frequent generalised tonic-clonic or complex partial seizures).

DISCUSSION

In general, patients were satisfied with their dental treatment. Regarding the clinician's role, however, dentists need to know more with respect to treating patients with seizures. Beyond that, it would be desirable for neurologists to take more time to answer their patients' questions regarding dental care.

Clinical nurses' knowledge and attitudes toward patients with epilepsy

BACKGROUND

Insufficient knowledge and negative attitudes of clinical nurses regarding epilepsy may affect the quality of health care for patients with epilepsy.

AIM

The aim of this study was to evaluate knowledge and attitudes of nurses working at a university hospital located in eastern Turkey regarding epilepsy.

METHOD

The descriptive study was conducted with 85 nurses working at the internal medicine clinics at Yakutiye Research Hospital in Erzurum, Turkey in March 2014. The data comprised the personal information form, epilepsy knowledge scale, and epilepsy attitude scale.

RESULTS

Clinical nurses obtained a mean score of 12.62±2.77 on the epilepsy knowledge scale and 55.43±6.59 on the epilepsy attitude scale. There was a significant difference between the educational status of nurses and mean scores on the epilepsy knowledge scale and epilepsy attitude scale (P<0.05). There was a positive, significant correlation between knowledge scores and attitude scores of clinical nurses regarding epilepsy (r=0.227, P<0.05). In addition, more than half of nurses (57.6%) knew that epileptic seizures would not pose a danger to other people. Unfortunately, approximately one-third of clinical nurses (36.5%) believed that epilepsy was incurable.

CONCLUSION

As a result of the study, it was determined that nurses had a moderate level of knowledge regarding epilepsy, and they generally displayed a positive attitude, but it was not sufficient. In addition, more knowledge was associated with a more positive attitude.

Knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about epilepsy and their predictors among university students in Jordan

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess the knowledge about epilepsy and the attitudes toward people with epilepsy (PWE) and their predictors among university students in Jordan. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed in three of the largest public universities in Jordan, and a total of 500 questionnaires were collected from each university. The number of students who reported that they had heard or read about epilepsy was 1165 (77.6%), and their data were analyzed. A significant proportion of students thought that epilepsy could be caused by the evil spirit (31.5%) and the evil eye (28.1%) or that it could be a punishment from God (25.9%). Epilepsy's most commonly reported treatment methods were the Holy Quran (71.4%), medications (71.3%), and herbs (29.3%). The most common negative attitudes toward PWE were that the students would refuse to marry someone with epilepsy (50.5%) and that children with epilepsy must join schools for persons with disabilities (44.4%). Male students, students of humanities, and students with a low socioeconomic status tended to have more negative attitudes toward PWE. In conclusion, many students have misconceptions about the causes, treatment, and nature of epilepsy, and students have moderate negative attitudes toward PWE. Universities should have health promotion programs to increase awareness of their students about major public health problems such as epilepsy.