Abstract Details

Title Use of Non-Medical Practices in the Management of Epilepsy: Experience in a South Eastern Nigerian Clinic

Topic Epilepsy/Clinical Neurophysiology (EEG)

Presentation(s) P1 - Poster Session 1 (9:00 AM-5:00 PM)

Poster/Presentation
Number 157

Objective The knowledge of the use of non-medical practices carried out by patients and their care-givers would be helpful in the education of patients and debunking of myths to avoid potentially harmful practices.

Background

The stigmatization, poor health seeking behaviour and myriad of challenges within the African healthcare system have made people with epilepsy resort to non-medical practices.

Design/Methods A mixed qualitative and quantitative data collection method was employed in this study. Qualitative data collection involved a combination of history taking, face to face interviews and telephone conversations with either patients or care-givers with the use of a semi-structured interviewer-administered checklist questionnaire.

Results

One hundred and eight (69 males, 39 females) patients participated in this study. The mean patient age was 22.25 ± 20.00 years. About two-thirds (67.6%) of patients had care-givers who were actively involved in their well-being and accompanied them to the clinics. More than half (52.1%) of all identified caregivers were females and 56.1% had education up to the tertiary level.

Responses by patients and care-givers revealed a wide range of non-medical practices including religious activities, practices involving application and ingestion of herbal concoctions as well as other substances, scarification marks, wearing of inanimate objects and animal rituals.

A total of 73 patients (67.6%) were involved in at least one non-medical practice. Thirty-four patients (31.5%) were involved in at least two practices while 15 patients (13.9%) participated in three or more different non-medical practices during the course of their illness.

Conclusions The results above reveal a high prevalence of non-medical practices among patients with epilepsy, and a substantial amount of them resorted to multiple practices. The numerous practices identified showed that there is a lot of misconception and under-treatment of epilepsy in this environment. Proper education of patients and their caregivers is necessary to reduce the prevalence of these practices.

Authors/Disclosures
Chukwuma E. Nwaze, MBBS (Regions Stroke and Neuroscience Hospital) PRESENTER	Dr. Nwaze has nothing to disclose.
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Jovita E. Egharevba	Miss Egharevba has nothing to disclose.
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Adaeze R. Avah, MD (Health instution)	Dr. Avah has nothing to disclose.
Chinomso D. Ogumerem, MD (Carilion clinic Virginia Tech Neurology program)	Dr. Ogumerem has nothing to disclose.
	No disclosure on file
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	No disclosure on file
Chinekwu Anyanwu, MD, FAAN (Carilion Clinic)	Dr. Anyanwu has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Speakers Bureau for Liva Nova.

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