The importance of yearly reviews for people with epilepsy

Guidelines state that all adults over the age of 18 with epilepsy should have, at the very least, a yearly review with a GP or epilepsy specialist. Those under 18 may require even more regular reviews and always with a specialist.

What is a review?

An epilepsy review is an opportunity for you to discuss your epilepsy and how it affects your life, as well as a chance to analyse progress and strategise for the upcoming 12 months. Epilepsy affects different people in different ways so your review will be unique to you and can be used to discuss how it impacts on your life. Often it can be helpful just to talk these things through, but it’s also possible that there are unexplored steps that can be taken to improve your quality of life and minimise the risk of seizures.

What’s covered in an epilepsy review?

There are many things that can be covered in an epilepsy review and you may even have some things you want to talk about that are unique to you.

Medication is always a top priority in a review, it’s incredibly important to evaluate how you are getting on with your current treatment and understand whether it’s effective. There are several epilepsy medications available and it may be required to trial different ones to find the one that’s most effective.

Seizures are another ever-present topic, it’s important for your medical professional or specialist to know your seizure history and frequency. If you have had less or no seizures it could be a sign that the medication is working. If you have had more frequent seizures it may mean that other avenues need to be explored for your treatment.

Other common topics include:

• Prescription worries
• Lifestyle issues and changes
• Side effects of medication
• Employment issues or problems at work
• Triggers, such as stress or lack of sleep

A review is there for you to try and ensure that you live the best quality of life possible and minimise the risk of seizures or other potential accidents as a result of your epilepsy.

What’s a care plan and why does it need reviewing?

A care plan is a physical document that outlines a service users epilepsy and medical treatment history. It’s absolutely essential to effectively managing epilepsy and as such, it needs to be regularly reviewed to ensure the information within is up-to-date. The review is the perfect opportunity to update your own unique care plan and assess how things have changed and potential improvements that could be made.

How do I book a review?

You can book a review with your GP or specialist. At National Epilepsy Training, we provide a comprehensive medication review and care planning service that’s led by highly trained epilepsy specialists who are extremely experienced.

However, if you are experiencing an urgent problem you should seek medical help immediately, don’t wait until your review.

To enquire about our review services and find out how National Epilepsy Training can help, please feel free to call us on 01706 373075 or email admin@nationalepilepsytraining.co.uk.