Survey Results Indicate Lack of Awareness about Pediatric Epilepsy in Parents, Health Care Providers and Medical Students

Abstract

  To measure current public awareness about epilepsy, questionnaires were sent to the following non-doctor groups: 150 parents of pediatric outpatients (control parents), 26 parents of pediatric neurology outpatients who were treated with anticonvulsants (epilepsy parents), 38 elementary school teachers, 42 teachers of disabled children, 28 nurses, and 46 medical students. Analysis of replies revealed that the majority of control parents accepted epilepsy as a disease that is “mostly hereditarily acquired, and needing lifelong medication as it is incurable.” Significantly more epilepsy parents replied “even though epilepsy is well controlled, women receiving epilepsy treatment should avoid pregnancy and delivery during treatment.” Many control parents, schoolteachers and medical students failed to correctly answer general questions about treatment of epilepsy. The results of our survey call attention to the need for further public educational programs to understand epilepsy.