Optimizing patient care in the pediatric epilepsy monitoring unit

In the pediatric epilepsy monitoring unit (PEMU) of a large midwestern hospital, patient care is optimized through the design of the unit, nurse and family education, communication, and medication administration. Four years after the PEMU was developed, the hospital held multidisciplinary discussions and surveyed nurses working in the PEMU to identify areas of nursing confidence. On the basis of the findings, the hospital refined some aspects of patient care, implemented an educational program for nurses who work in the PEMU, and established of a core group of PEMU nurses. Descriptions of the education and communication procedures and of the design features introduced to provide optimal patient care may be useful to other facilities seeking to design and implement PEMUs.