Medication Barriers in Pediatric Patients With Epilepsy
Sara E Molisani1, Michael C Kaufman2, Jaclyn Tencer1
1Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Departments of Neurology and Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Pediatric Neurology
|February 14, 2026
Summary
Identifying medication adherence barriers in pediatric epilepsy is crucial. Screening revealed common issues like side effects and remembering doses, highlighting areas for intervention.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Epilepsy Management
- Medication Adherence Research
Background:
- Pediatric epilepsy requires consistent medication adherence for effective seizure control.
- Identifying barriers to medication adherence is essential for optimizing treatment outcomes in children with epilepsy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the most frequent barriers to medication adherence in pediatric patients with epilepsy.
- To assess the feasibility of standardized screening for these barriers.
Main Methods:
- Implementation of the Barriers to Adherence Tool as a previsit questionnaire for epilepsy follow-up visits.
- Analysis of responses from a large cohort of pediatric patients over a defined period.
Main Results:
- Over 74% of follow-up encounters completed the questionnaire, with 35% reporting at least one barrier.
- Common barriers included side effects (25%), ineffective seizure control (16%), and difficulty remembering medication (12%).
- Barriers were more prevalent in Black/African American patients, those with frequent seizures, or on multiple antiseizure medications.
Conclusions:
- Standardized screening for medication adherence barriers is feasible, sustainable, and repeatable in pediatric neurology settings.
- Identified common barriers provide targets for future intervention strategies to improve adherence in pediatric epilepsy.
Keywords:
Adherence barriersElectronic health recordMedication adherencePediatric epilepsyQuality improvementMore Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:26Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Excretion
281
In pediatric medicine, understanding the renal function and drug elimination nuances is crucial for administering safe and effective treatments. Newborns, in particular, display markedly slower renal functions than adults, profoundly affecting how drugs are cleared from their bodies. This slower drug clearance requires clinicians to extend the dosing intervals for many medications to prevent drug accumulation and toxicity while ensuring therapeutic efficacy.One key area where these adjustments...
281
01:17Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Distribution
334
Drug distribution in the pediatric population exhibits unique challenges and considerations due to the physiological differences between children, particularly neonates and infants, and adults. A crucial aspect of pediatric pharmacology is understanding how these differences impact the pharmacokinetics of various drugs, necessitating age-specific dosing strategies to ensure efficacy and safety.Neonates and infants have a higher total body water content, ~75%–90% of their body weight,...
334
01:24Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Metabolism
256
In pediatric care, understanding the nuances of hepatic drug metabolism is crucial, as it significantly differs from that of adults. This divergence is primarily due to the developmental stage of drug-metabolizing enzymes, which affects how medications are processed in the body. In neonates, for instance, the activity of Phase I enzymes—critical for the initial breakdown of drugs—is markedly reduced, functioning at just 20–40% of the levels seen in adults. This reduction poses...
256
01:23Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Overview and Drug Absorption
318
Understanding the physiological differences in the pediatric population is crucial for effective pharmacotherapy. Neonates, infants, and children exhibit significant variations in gastric pH, gastric emptying time, intestinal transit time, and biliary function. These variations profoundly affect oral drug absorption, necessitating a nuanced approach to pediatric dosing.Neonates present with a unique physiological profile, having a gastric pH greater than 4 and faster and more irregular gastric...
318
01:23Inhaled Medications
843
Inhaled medications are crucial for managing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. They are essential for effective treatment and control, ensuring optimal respiratory health and well-being. Inhaled medication delivers drugs directly to the lungs, providing a rapid onset of action and reducing systemic side effects compared to oral or injectable medications. Three primary types of inhalation devices are used to administer these medications: nebulizers, metered-dose inhalers...
843
01:24Epilepsy and Seizures: Overview
1.4K
Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disease marked by recurrent, unpredictable seizures. These seizures are caused by abnormal electrical discharges in the brain, leading to behavior, sensation, or consciousness alterations. They can also cause transient impairment of awareness, interfering with daily activities.
Various factors can trigger epilepsy, including genetic factors, brain damage, metabolic causes, and unknown etiology. Diagnosis of epilepsy involves electroencephalography (EEG), which...
Various factors can trigger epilepsy, including genetic factors, brain damage, metabolic causes, and unknown etiology. Diagnosis of epilepsy involves electroencephalography (EEG), which...
1.4K