Patients with epilepsy who discontinue treatment

Out of 247 patients coming to an outpatient clinic (OPC) for patients with epilepsy during a time span of 18 months, 214 could be definitely rated with respect to continuation or discontinuation of treatment. 96 discontinued treatment, i.e., they did not keep their last appointment and also did not come to the OPC during the following 6 months or longer. The rate of discontinuation was especially high for patients who had had only one seizure, for patients with chronic alcoholism or alcoholic withdrawal seizures and for patients who had already had several seizures but objected to pharmacological treatment. One hundred and forty-nine patients had had at least 2 seizures and were on medication. In this group we looked for variables discriminating between continuation and discontinuation. Medical data were taken from the records and all patients received a questionnaire with 36 items. Medical variables such as type and duration of epilepsy had no influence on keeping appointments. There were, however, significant relations between continuation or discontinuation and perceived quality of care in the OPC, obligation of the patient to look after children, perceived discrimination of persons with epilepsy at the work place and the patient's feeling of being treated like a little child when the doctor utters his suspicions about non-compliance.