Medication adherence, anxiety and depression, and safety of epileptic patients following receiving information about sudden unexpected deaths in epilepsy: A quasi-experimental study with before/after design

Abstract

IntroductionIt is very important to provide epileptic patients with sufficient knowledge of SUDEP and empower them regarding its prevention. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the educational intervention of receiving information about SUDEP on medication adherence, anxiety and depression, and the safety of epileptic patients. Patients and MethodsThis study was conducted on 60 epilepsy patients referred to the specialized epilepsy clinic of Imam Hossein Hospital in Tehran, Iran, from April 2022 to February 2023. Data were collected by the Morisky medication adherence scale, hospital anxiety and depression scales, and the researcher-made checklists of bathing safety, sleep safety, and patient seizure preparation before and after the intervention. The educational intervention was conducted through the video and pamphlet regarding knowledge about SUDEP. Wilcoxon and paired t-tests were used to compare the data changes following the intervention. ResultsMost patients were male, with an age range of 18 to 29 years old. The mean score of anxiety and depression before and after the educational intervention did not show a statistically significant difference (P = 0.928); however, the mean scores of medication adherence, bathing safety, sleep safety, and preparation for seizure after the educational intervention increased significantly (P < 0.05). ConclusionKnowledge about SUDEP would be able to encourage epileptic patients to better adhere to medication; and make them empower regarding seizure preparation, bathing safety, and sleep safety.