Implementing epilepsy guidelines within a learning disability service

To investigate the usefulness of the implementation of NICE guidelines when reviewing care within an outpatient learning disability service.

We set up a multi disciplinary specialist epilepsy clinic and reviewed all patients with a diagnosis of epilepsy using a specific assessment document based on NICE guidance. We then audited clinical documentation prior to and after the implementation of the clinic.

We reviewed 23 patients and found that implementing NICE guidelines showed improvements to individuals' seizure assessments and epilepsy management. When comparing specific areas related to NICE implementation we found that 83% compared to 6% of patients had accurate name and detailed seizure descriptions. We made changes to seizure diagnosis in 76% of patients and improved the level of recording of seizure frequency and severity. Finally 91% compared to 50% of consultations led to changes in treatment plans.

We found that implementing the NICE guidelines allowed us to use a systematic approach to epilepsy management, which in turn led to identifiable improvement in documentation and patient care.