Background: Poor adherence to antiepileptic drugs is one of the most important causes of treatment failure in persons with epilepsy (PWE). This study was aimed at assessing the impact of psychoeducation on drug adherence and treatment outcome in PWE. Methods: It was a prospective cohort study with a pre and posttest intervention design. A cohort of 100 epilepsy patients aged 18–65 years and on antiepileptic drugs for at least 6 months attending the outpatient department was enrolled in the study. Drug adherence was measured by Medication Adherence Rating Scale. A structured eight-domain epilepsy psychoeducation session with pictorial description was given to the study subjects in two parts (group and individually) lasting for a total of 30 min on the day of baseline assessment. Adherence and treatment outcome variables were assessed by an independent observer 4 months after the psychoeducation session. Chi-square test and paired t-test were used to analyze the data using SPSS version 20 with P value less than 0.05 considered as significant. Results: There was a statistically significant (P < 0.001) increase in the number of patients who were adherent to medications after psychoeducation session. There was a significant reduction in mean seizure frequency (0.68 ± 0.65) and seizure severity in terms of injuries sustained during seizure episodes post intervention. Regularities in the follow-up visits were also witnessed. A significant decrease in the number of hospital admissions (0.09 ± 0.32), mean inpatient treatment days (0.44 ± 2.19), and emergency room visits (0.19 ± 0.15) was noted 4 months after the psychoeducation session indicative of better treatment outcome. Conclusion: The present study proves the efficacy of a structured educational program in improving drug adherence and treatment outcome in a cohort of people with epilepsy.


中文翻译：

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简短的结构化心理教育课程对癫痫患者抗癫痫药物依从性和治疗结果的影响：一项前瞻性队列研究


背景：抗癫痫药物依从性差是癫痫患者 (PWE) 治疗失败的最重要原因之一。本研究旨在评估心理教育对 PWE 药物依从性和治疗结果的影响。方法：这是一项具有前后测干预设计的前瞻性队列研究。该研究招募了 100 名年龄在 18-65 岁且在门诊就诊且服用抗癫痫药物至少 6 个月的癫痫患者队列。通过药物依从性评定量表测量药物依从性。在基线评估当天，对研究对象分两部分（小组和个人）进行了结构化的八领域癫痫心理教育课程，并进行了图形描述，总共持续了 30 分钟。心理教育课程结束后 4 个月，由一名独立观察员评估依从性和治疗结果变量。采用卡方检验和配对t检验，使用SPSS 20版对数据进行分析，P值小于0.05认为显着。结果：心理教育后坚持服药的患者数量有统计学意义（P < 0.001）。就干预后癫痫发作期间持续的伤害而言，平均癫痫发作频率 (0.68 ± 0.65) 和癫痫发作严重程度显着降低。还见证了后续访问的规律性。心理教育课程结束后 4 个月，住院人数 (0.09 ± 0.32)、平均住院治疗天数 (0.44 ± 2.19) 和急诊室就诊次数 (0.19 ± 0.15) 显着减少，表明治疗效果更好。结论：本研究证明了结构化教育计划在改善一组癫痫患者的药物依从性和治疗结果方面的功效。