News from the CDC: translating epilepsy self-management research to practice

Abstract

Epilepsy, which affects about two million persons in the USA, is characterized by recurrent, unprovoked seizures [1]. Many with the condition face significant challenges related to managing treatment, symptoms, disability, lifestyle limitations, depression, and stigma. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Epilepsy Program supports activities related to epidemiologic and prevention research, improving care, combating stigma, promoting patient self-management, increasing public awareness and knowledge, and strengthening partnerships. In 2002, promising research on epilepsy self-management began to emerge from CDC’s Prevention Research Centers, which led to the development of the Managing Epilepsy Well (MEW) Network (http://www.sph.emory.edu/ManagingEpilepsyWell/) [2]. Since 2007, the MEW Network has successfully developed and evaluated several theory-based interventions through telehealth and traditional formats [3]. MEW programs currently available to the public include Epilepsy Awareness Support and Education (WebEase), an on-line self-management program, Using Practice and Learning to Increase Favorable Thoughts (UPLIFT), a telehealth depression treatment program, and Program to Encourage Active Rewarding Lives (PEARLS), a collaborative care home-based depression treatment intervention [3].