Patients’ knowledge about their disorder: Perspective of patients with epilepsy in a tertiary health facility in southwestern Nigeria

Abstract Objective Previous studies have shown that patients with epilepsy do not have adequate knowledge about their disorder, suggesting that patient education is a vital part of comprehensive care for epilepsy. The goal of this study was to evaluate what Nigerian patients with epilepsy know about...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Epilepsy & behavior 2011-03, Vol.20 (3), p.556-560
Main Authors: Sunmonu, T.A, Afolabi, O.T, Komolafe, M.A, Ogunrin, A.O
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Cross-Sectional Studies
Disorder
Electroencephalography
Epilepsy
Epilepsy - epidemiology
Epilepsy - psychology
Female
Health Facilities
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Health Status
Humans
Knowledge
Male
Neurology
Nigeria - epidemiology
Nigerians
Perspectives
Seizure
Surveys and Questionnaires
Young Adult
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Summary:Abstract Objective Previous studies have shown that patients with epilepsy do not have adequate knowledge about their disorder, suggesting that patient education is a vital part of comprehensive care for epilepsy. The goal of this study was to evaluate what Nigerian patients with epilepsy know about their disorder. Methods Forty-six patients with EEG- and clinically confirmed epilepsy participated in the study. The patients completed the Epilepsy Patients Knowledge Questionnaire. The questionnaire includes topics related to etiology of epilepsy, safety, compliance, legal issues of driving, and employment. The questionnaire scores were correlated with demographic variables, duration of epilepsy, and level of education of the patients. Results The mean age of the respondents was 26.78 ± 9.27 years; there were 27 males and 19 females. The mean duration of epilepsy in the group was 7.6 ± 7.5 years. The mean rates of correct responses to the issues of safety and compliance were 31.6 and 76.8%, respectively. The mean scores on legal issues of driving and employment were 45.7 and 42.4%, respectively. The lowest score (10.9%) was on the etiology of epilepsy. Conclusion Nigerian patients with epilepsy lack adequate knowledge about their disorder, and there is a need for improved educational intervention in these patients.
ISSN:1525-5050
1525-5069
DOI:10.1016/j.yebeh.2010.12.030