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Watson GDR, Afra P, Bartolini L, Graf DA, Kothare SV, McGoldrick P, Thomas BJ, Saxena AR, Tomycz LD, Wolf SM, Yan PZ, Hagen EC. A journey into the unknown: An ethnographic examination of drug-resistant epilepsy treatment and management in the United States. Epilepsy Behav 2021; 124:108319. [PMID: 34563807 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2021.108319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Revised: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Patients often recognize unmet needs that can improve patient-provider experiences in disease treatment management. These needs are rarely captured and may be hard to quantify in difficult-to-treat disease states such as drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). To further understand challenges living with and managing DRE, a team of medical anthropologists conducted ethnographic field assessments with patients to qualitatively understand their experience with DRE across the United States. In addition, healthcare provider assessments were conducted in community clinics and Comprehensive Epilepsy Centers to further uncover patient-provider treatment gaps. We identified four distinct stages of the treatment and management journey defined by patients' perceived control over their epilepsy: Gripped in the Panic Zone, Diligently Tracking to Plan, Riding a Rollercoaster in the Dark, and Reframing Priorities to Redefine Treatment Success. We found that patients sought resources to streamline communication with their care team, enhanced education on treatment options beyond medications, and long-term resources to protect against a decline in control over managing their epilepsy once drug-resistant. Likewise, treatment management optimization strategies are provided to improve current DRE standard of care with respect to identified patient-provider gaps. These include the use of digital disease management tools, standardizing neuropsychiatrists into patients' initial care team, and introducing surgical and non-pharmacological treatment options upon epilepsy and DRE diagnoses, respectively. This ethnographic study uncovers numerous patient-provider gaps, thereby presenting a conceptual framework to advance DRE treatment. Further Incentivization from professional societies and healthcare systems to support standardization of the treatment optimization strategies provided herein into clinical practice is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Pegah Afra
- Department of Neurology, Weill-Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Luca Bartolini
- Division of Pediatric Neurology, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Daniel A Graf
- Department of Neurology, Geisinger Health System, Danville, PA 17822, USA
| | - Sanjeev V Kothare
- Department of Pediatric Neurology, Northwell Health, New York, NY 10011, USA
| | - Patricia McGoldrick
- Boston Children's Health Physicians and Maria Fareri Children's Hospital, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY 10595, USA
| | - Bethany J Thomas
- Department of Neurology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Aneeta R Saxena
- Epilepsy Division, Department of Neurology, Boston Medical Center, Boston University School of Medicine, MA, USA
| | | | - Steven M Wolf
- Boston Children's Health Physicians and Maria Fareri Children's Hospital, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY 10595, USA
| | - Peter Z Yan
- Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Eliza C Hagen
- LivaNova, Neuromodulation Unit, Houston, TX 77058, USA; Department of Neurology, Alameda County Medical Center, Oakland, CA 94602, USA
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Psychosocial assessment of families caring for a child with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, epilepsy or asthma: Psychosocial risk as network of interacting symptoms. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0230194. [PMID: 32203535 PMCID: PMC7089558 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0230194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2019] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to assess psychosocial risk across several pediatric medical conditions and test the hypothesis that different severe or chronic pediatric illnesses are characterized by disease specific enhanced psychosocial risk and that risk is driven by disease specific connectivity and interdependencies among various domains of psychosocial function using the Psychosocial Assessment Tool (PAT). In a multicenter prospective cohort study of 195 patients, aged 5–12, 90 diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), 42 with epilepsy and 63 with asthma, parents completed the PAT2.0 or the PAT2.0 generic version. Multivariate analysis was performed with disease as factor and age as covariate. Graph theory and network analysis was employed to study the connectivity and interdependencies among subscales of the PAT while data-driven cluster analysis was used to test whether common patterns of risk exist among the various diseases. Using a network modelling approach analysis, we observed unique patterns of interconnected domains of psychosocial factors. Each pathology was characterized by different interdependencies among the most central and most connected domains. Furthermore, data-driven cluster analysis resulted in two clusters: patients with ALL (89%) mostly belonged to cluster 1, while patients with epilepsy and asthma belonged primarily to cluster 2 (83% and 82% respectively). In sum, implementing a network approach improves our comprehension concerning the character of the problems central to the development of psychosocial difficulties. Therapy directed at problems related to the most central domain(s) constitutes the more rational one because such an approach will inevitably carry over to other domains that depend on the more central function.
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Reilly C, Atkinson P, Memon A, Jones C, Dabydeen L, Das KB, Gillberg C, Neville BGR, Scott RC. Symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress in parents of young children with epilepsy: A case controlled population-based study. Epilepsy Behav 2018; 80:177-183. [PMID: 29414549 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2017.12.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2017] [Revised: 12/14/2017] [Accepted: 12/22/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The objective was to provide population-based data on depression, anxiety, and stress in parents of young children with epilepsy and to compare findings with those of parents of developmental-, age-, and gender-matched children with nonepilepsy-related neurodisability (neurological and/or neurodevelopmental concerns). The parents (mothers and fathers) of 47 (89% ascertainment) young children (1-7years) with epilepsy in a defined geographical area of the UK completed the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales - Short Form (DASS-21), a screening measure for depression, anxiety, and stress. The responses of parents of children with epilepsy were compared with parents of developmental-, age-, and gender-matched children with nonepilepsy-related neurodisability (n=48). Factors associated with parental symptoms were analyzed using regression. In the group with epilepsy, 47 mothers and 39 fathers completed the DASS-21. Seventy-two percent of mothers scored in the at-risk range on at least one DASS-21 subscale (Fathers 49%). Mothers of children with epilepsy were significantly more likely to score in the at risk range than fathers on depression (55% vs. 33%), anxiety (47% vs. 26%), and stress (55% vs. 31%) subscales (all p<0.05). Mothers of children with epilepsy were also significantly more likely to score in the at-risk range than mothers of children with neurodisability on measures of depression (p=0.005) and stress (p=0.03). There was not a significant difference between fathers in both groups on any measures. In the group with epilepsy, increased child emotional-behavioral difficulties were associated with increased DASS-21 scores on multivariable analysis (p=0.04). Mothers of young children with epilepsy are at high risk for mental health difficulties, and all should be screened for such difficulties. There is a need to explore what parent and/or child focused interventions might be useful to reduce the mental health difficulties reported by mothers of young children with epilepsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin Reilly
- Research Department, Young Epilepsy, Lingfield, Surrey RH7 6PW, UK; UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health (ICH), 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK.
| | - Patricia Atkinson
- Child Development Centre, Crawley Hospital, West Green Drive, Crawley, RH11 7DH, West Sussex, UK
| | - Ayesha Memon
- Child Development Centre, Crawley Hospital, West Green Drive, Crawley, RH11 7DH, West Sussex, UK
| | - Chloe Jones
- Research Department, Young Epilepsy, Lingfield, Surrey RH7 6PW, UK
| | - Lyvia Dabydeen
- Research Department, Young Epilepsy, Lingfield, Surrey RH7 6PW, UK
| | - Krishna B Das
- UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health (ICH), 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK; Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust, Great Ormond Street, London WC1N 3JH, UK
| | - Christopher Gillberg
- Research Department, Young Epilepsy, Lingfield, Surrey RH7 6PW, UK; UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health (ICH), 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK; Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre, University of Gothenburg, Kungsgatan 12, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Brian G R Neville
- Research Department, Young Epilepsy, Lingfield, Surrey RH7 6PW, UK; UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health (ICH), 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK
| | - Rod C Scott
- UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health (ICH), 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK; Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust, Great Ormond Street, London WC1N 3JH, UK; Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT, USA
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Jones C, Reilly C. Parental anxiety in childhood epilepsy: A systematic review. Epilepsia 2016; 57:529-37. [DOI: 10.1111/epi.13326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chloe Jones
- Research Department; Young Epilepsy; Lingfield Surrey United Kingdom
| | - Colin Reilly
- Research Department; Young Epilepsy; Lingfield Surrey United Kingdom
- Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre; University of Gothenburg; Gothenburg Sweden
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