The BECOME-LTC survey evaluated nurses’ perspectives of changes in seizure frequency and nonseizure outcomes (communication, cognition, sleep, emotional and physical functioning) after CBD initiation in LTC residents with epilepsy.

Epilepsy is prevalent among LTC residents. Epidiolex^® (plant-derived purified CBD; 100 mg/mL oral solution) is approved for treating seizures associated with Dravet syndrome, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, and tuberous sclerosis complex in patients aged ≥1 year. CBD’s real-world effectiveness in LTC residents remains unexplored.

Nurses actively working in LTC, community independent living arrangement (CILA)/group homes, or intermediate care facilities in the United States completed an online, 25-minute, multiple-choice survey and ranked their impressions of changes in patient seizure and nonseizure outcomes using a symmetrical Likert scale (from worsening to improvement).

Of 102 nurses who completed the survey, most were aged ≥35 years (87%), were female (85%), cared for >5 residents with seizures (64%) and ≤3 residents receiving CBD (61%), and had >10 years of experience (68%); most (58%) worked in facilities with >50-resident capacity. CILA/group home was the most commonly reported type of resident facility (42% of nurses). Following CBD initiation, 85% of nurses reported reduction in overall seizure frequency (49% reported ≥50% reduction); 9% reported no change, and 6% reported worsening. Around 77%, 72%, 66%, and 65% of nurses reported reductions in convulsive, drop, nonconvulsive, and nondrop seizures, respectively. Across seizure types, ≤29% of nurses reported no change in seizure frequency and ≤9% reported no worsening. Across nonseizure outcomes, 75% of nurses reported improvement in emotional functioning, 61% in sleep, 60% in cognition, 42% in communication, and 40% in physical functioning; ≤57% of nurses reported no change in seizure frequency and ≤4% reported no worsening.

The BECOME-LTC survey results suggest benefits of CBD treatment among LTC and group home residents with epilepsy.