Testing Seizures in the EMU: A clinical practice challenge

A vital reason for admitting patients to the controlled setting of the epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) is to safely record and evaluate ictal and post-ictal behavior. Seizure testing not only contributes to confirming a diagnosis of epilepsy, but helps establish where seizures may be starting in the brain and how they spread. While timely and effective seizure testing is the central task of the EMU, this complex activity also represents a key practice challenge. The purpose of this webinar is to explain best practices for testing levels of impairment during seizures, and to describe some approaches to teaching this critical skill to EMU staff.

Topics & Speakers

• An approach to seizure recognition and testing: The French experience - Ludivine Rohrer APRN, University Hospital, Nancy, France
• Developing a clinical testing tool to assess ictal and postictal behavior - Sumika Ouchida APRN, MSN, Epilepsy Nurse Practitioner, Royal Prince Alfred. Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Moderator: Sandra Dewar PhD, RN, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia, USA

Organizer: Nursing Section