Abstract
Despite the importance of early diagnosis in childhood epilepsy, few published studies address the process of the child's entry into the health care system. The purpose of this article is to describe parental accounts of the diagnostic process and corresponding treatment for their children. We interviewed 21 parents of children who had both epilepsy and significant learning problems using semistructured open-ended interviews. During the interview, we asked parents to describe their child's medical history. Qualitative data analysis techniques were used to analyze the interviews. They revealed three system failures where the recognition and treatment of epilepsy fall short of an ideal diagnostic trajectory: (1) parents not seeking treatment for their child's epilepsy, (2) health care providers not recognizing seizures, and (3) health care providers not making accurate diagnoses or initiating inappropriate treatment. This study provides a foundation on which to build future studies.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 440-447 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Epilepsy and Behavior |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Nov 2006 |
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Keywords
- Access to care
- Diagnosis
- Pediatric epilepsy
- Socioeconomic status
- Treatment
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Clinical Neurology
- Behavioral Neuroscience
- Neurology
Cite this
Childhood epilepsy : Failures along the path to diagnosis and treatment. / Buelow, Janice; Shore, Cheryl P.
In: Epilepsy and Behavior, Vol. 9, No. 3, 11.2006, p. 440-447.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Childhood epilepsy
T2 - Failures along the path to diagnosis and treatment
AU - Buelow, Janice
AU - Shore, Cheryl P.
PY - 2006/11
Y1 - 2006/11
N2 - Despite the importance of early diagnosis in childhood epilepsy, few published studies address the process of the child's entry into the health care system. The purpose of this article is to describe parental accounts of the diagnostic process and corresponding treatment for their children. We interviewed 21 parents of children who had both epilepsy and significant learning problems using semistructured open-ended interviews. During the interview, we asked parents to describe their child's medical history. Qualitative data analysis techniques were used to analyze the interviews. They revealed three system failures where the recognition and treatment of epilepsy fall short of an ideal diagnostic trajectory: (1) parents not seeking treatment for their child's epilepsy, (2) health care providers not recognizing seizures, and (3) health care providers not making accurate diagnoses or initiating inappropriate treatment. This study provides a foundation on which to build future studies.
AB - Despite the importance of early diagnosis in childhood epilepsy, few published studies address the process of the child's entry into the health care system. The purpose of this article is to describe parental accounts of the diagnostic process and corresponding treatment for their children. We interviewed 21 parents of children who had both epilepsy and significant learning problems using semistructured open-ended interviews. During the interview, we asked parents to describe their child's medical history. Qualitative data analysis techniques were used to analyze the interviews. They revealed three system failures where the recognition and treatment of epilepsy fall short of an ideal diagnostic trajectory: (1) parents not seeking treatment for their child's epilepsy, (2) health care providers not recognizing seizures, and (3) health care providers not making accurate diagnoses or initiating inappropriate treatment. This study provides a foundation on which to build future studies.
KW - Access to care
KW - Diagnosis
KW - Pediatric epilepsy
KW - Socioeconomic status
KW - Treatment
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=33750291394&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.yebeh.2006.07.004
DO - 10.1016/j.yebeh.2006.07.004
M3 - Article
VL - 9
SP - 440
EP - 447
JO - Epilepsy and Behavior
JF - Epilepsy and Behavior
SN - 1525-5050
IS - 3
ER -