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Patient satisfaction with care in epilepsy: how much do we know?
Natalie Wiebe1, Kirsten M Fiest, Jonathan Dykeman
1Clinical Research Unit, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Epilepsia
|February 8, 2014
Summary
Patient satisfaction with epilepsy care (SEC) is infrequently reported and lowest for communication and provider skills. Improving education and communication is key to enhancing SEC for epilepsy patients.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Health Services Research
- Patient Experience
Background:
- Satisfaction with epilepsy care (SEC) is a multidimensional construct.
- Understanding how SEC is measured and its determinants is crucial for improving patient outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review how and where SEC is measured.
- To assess overall SEC levels and in specific domains.
- To explore the relationship between SEC and clinical/demographic variables.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search across multiple databases (Medline, PsycINFO, CINAHL, etc.).
- Inclusion of studies on adult and pediatric epilepsy care satisfaction.
- Independent review of abstracts and full-text articles, abstracting key variables.
Main Results:
- 25 studies included, primarily from the US and UK; 64% used non-validated instruments.
- High overall SEC (86%), but lower for communication (67%) and provider knowledge (65%).
- Specialized care settings and better information provision correlated with higher SEC.
Conclusions:
- SEC data is sparse, with significant gaps in validated measurement tools.
- Communication and provider skills are key areas for improvement in epilepsy care.
- Further research is needed to link SEC with quality of care indicators.
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