Databases for ketogenic therapy patient care monitoring and research

Abstract

Ketogenic Therapy (KT) is a dietary treatment for epilepsy that is adequate in protein, high in fat, and extremely low in carbohydrates. The KetoGators are a group of undergraduates at the University of Florida that monitor the progress of pediatric epileptic patients receiving KT at Shands Children’s Hospital. Data have been collected on over 150 patients including information on growth, seizure activity, blood lipids, clinical chemistry and several other parameters. These data were used to create an accurate patient care database and a research database to further investigate the mechanisms and efficacy of KT. The patient care database allows physicians to view patient history in an organized, efficient manner. We have developed a stepwise procedure to facilitate construction of the research database from data available in the patients’ medical records. These steps include data collection, designing the research database in Microsoft Access, data entry and a series of auditing procedures. Tools have been created to facilitate communication among the large number of investigators involved. We are also currently designing a system to collect data prospectively. While this process has been designed to monitor KT patients, it can be applied to aid in research and patient care in any other specialty.