Specialized services for the non-institutionalized patient with epilepsy: developments in the US and the UK

Services for the non-institutionalized patients with epilepsy have been the subject of a number of government sponsored reports. The recommended expansion in specialized services (for example, the special centres and the hospital-based epilepsy units) has not come about, and, as a result, services for epilepsy in the UK do not conform to the highest international standards. This paper reviews recent US findings with regard to the cost of epilepsy: contrasts recent developments in the US with those in the UK: emphasizes the need for further audit of the hospital facilities in this country: outlines the role of specialized epilepsy services and the structure these services might take in the UK.