著者

Yuko Nishina Shin-ichi Yoshioka

出版者

Tottori University Medical Press

雑誌

Yonago Acta Medica (ISSN:13468049)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.61, no.1, pp.019-026, 2018 (Released:2019-03-15)

参考文献数

23

被引用文献数

4 10

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Background Comprehensive care is necessary for people with epilepsy (PWE) to lead a fulfilling life at home and in the community. The purpose of this study was to determine the epilepsy-related knowledge, attitudes and practices of home healthcare nurses (HHNs) in the San-in region of Japan.Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted by mail of 546 HHNs working in Tottori and Shimane Prefectures. The questionnaire assessed the epilepsy-related knowledge, attitudes and practices of HHNs. For the analysis, simple and cross tabulation of questionnaire responses were conducted, and the chi-squared test was used for statistical testing.Results A total of 285 HHNs participated in the study. Of the respondents, 43.9% had experience taking care of PWE in a home healthcare nursing setting. Regarding the cause of epilepsy, in descending order the percentage of correct responses were 86.7% for stroke, 85.3% for head injury, and only 13.3% for dementia. Concerning how to respond to an epileptic seizure, almost all respondents answered correctly, but 29.8% gave the incorrect answer of “place something inside the mouth.” Regarding the practices of HHNs in relation to caring for PWE, nurses scored 52.0% for collaborating with the attending physician, indicating the need for improvement. The score for “provide information about social resources” was low at 18.4%. Of the respondents, 95.8% answered that epilepsy-related knowledge and technical skills were necessary for home healthcare nursing practice, and 87.7% were interested in participating in a workshop on epilepsy.Conclusion The study revealed an inadequate level of knowledge of epilepsy with dementia and corresponding epileptic seizures, a low awareness of nursing care in collaboration with physicians, and the importance of providing information about social resources. There is a need to offer information and education on the latest knowledge about epilepsy to HHNs.