Impact of a brief structured psychoeducation session on antiepileptic drug adherence and treatment outcome in persons with epilepsy: A prospective cohort study Savita Chahal<sup>1</sup>, Nikhil Govil<sup>2</sup>, Anuradha Nadda<sup>3</sup>, Amandeep S Kaloti<sup>2</sup>, Nishu Gupta<sup>4</sup> - Ann Indian Acad Neurol

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Impact of a brief structured psychoeducation session on antiepileptic drug adherence and treatment outcome in persons with epilepsy: A prospective cohort study Savita Chahal¹, Nikhil Govil², Anuradha Nadda³, Amandeep S Kaloti², Nishu Gupta⁴ ¹ Department of Psychiatry, Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College (KCGMC), Karnal, Haryana, India ² Department of General Medicine, Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College (KCGMC), Karnal, Haryana, India ³ Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India ⁴ Department of Paediatrics, PGIMER Satellite Centre Sangrur, Punjab, India Correspondence Address: Nikhil Govil, Department of General Medicine, Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College (KCGMC), Karnal, Haryana - 132001 India Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None DOI: 10.4103/aian.AIAN_447_20

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 Pvalue 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.

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    -  Chahal S
    -  Govil N
    -  Nadda A
    -  Kaloti AS
    -  Gupta N

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