Survey among Russian doctors on routine electroencephalography

Abstract

The aim of the work was to assess how accurately specialists, performing EEG, apply the recommendations in their daily practice.Materials and Methods. An anonymous survey was conducted of 210 specialists in functional diagnostics and neurologists performing routine electroencephalography. The survey consisted of nine mandatory single-choice questions.Results. Only 9 respondents out of 210 (4.3%) perform routine EEG completely in accordance with the Recommendations of the Expert Council of Neurophysiology of the Russian Anti-Epileptic League on performing the routine EEG.' Of these, only three specialists (1.4% of the total number of respondents) answered that a functional diagnostics doctor is present throughout the entire examination.Conclusion: Despite the wide distribution and extensive experience in the use of EEG, there is no uniform practice of its implementation by doctors in the Russian Federation. Standardization of the methodology of its performance will increase confidence in EEG results among doctors of clinical specialties, increase the degree of inter-expert agreement among functional diagnostics physicians, and improve the quality of diagnosis of central nervous system diseases. To do this, it is necessary to develop webinar and educational programs on the methodology of EEG under the auspices of professional associations of doctors of functional diagnostics, neurophysiologists, neurologists.