Clinic to Community© Program for Adults With Epilepsy Admitted to Emergency Departments

NCT ID: NCT04248920

Last Updated: 2024-01-03

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 9 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2022-09-12
• Study Completion Date: 2023-12-11

Brief Summary

Analysis of emergency department (ED) visits with a billing code for 'epilepsy' or 'seizure' found up to 37% are eligible for deferral. This study is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of the Clinic To Community© program (C2C) as an intervention for adults with epilepsy visiting emergency departments at a mid size hospital in Ontario, Canada. Participants in the intervention arm receive patient education to improve knowledge of epilepsy and access to community-based services. Participants in the control group are wait-listed and receive patient education 12 months later. The study objective is to successfully implement, recruit and retain participants for this intervention and evaluate whether C2C will reduce the frequency of ED visits, reduce felt stigma and improve quality of life, epilepsy knowledge, and self-management skills.

Detailed Description

Emergency care for epilepsy can be appropriate and even life-saving, but up to 37% of emergency department (ED) visits by persons with epilepsy (PWE) are potentially deferrable, resulting from persons with known epilepsy and uncomplicated seizures. Past studies have shown that low self-management confidence among PWE leads to frequent emergency visits to the hospital. Other factors associated with increased use of EDs are increased seizure frequency, reduced medication, sub-optimal self-management, increased anxiety, increased depression, increased felt-stigma, and lower social and medical epilepsy knowledge.

In one catchment area in Ontario, Canada, the Southwest Local Health Integration Network (LHIN), there are an estimated 7508 prevalent cases of epilepsy associated with the use of approximately $55 million/year of provincial healthcare services. In addition, there are an estimated 433 incident cases costing an additional $4.6 million/year. Hospital care (including ED visits) accounts for 35.5% of the total cost equating to $21 million/year. Eliminating the 37% of deferrable ED visits equates to saving almost $8 million/year.

The Clinic to Community© (C2C) epilepsy education program has been developed using best practices for patient education. The content has been divided into an introductory 60 minute face-to-face session supported by strategy sheets that can be accessed online at www.clinictocommunity.ca

The Clinic To Community© program recognizes that epilepsy is unique among chronic conditions in that PWE lose their ability to make choices during a seizure and depend on the decisions of others including family, friends and colleagues to keep them safe. Many patients seek care in the ED to reduce their anxiety and for reassurance and that upon discharge from the ED, the inability to receive a prompt specialist appointment leads to the continued use of ED for these same patients.

This is a parallel, pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing the Clinic To Community© program plus treatment-as-usual (TAU) with TAU only (i.e. wait-list control). This study will not interfere with patients' clinical care. Eligible patients visiting a participating ED will be given information about the study and if they agree, will be referred. The C2C program will be delivered in-person, one-on-one for 60 minutes by appointment on a rolling basis to minimize wait-times and allow timely access to the intervention.

All participants will complete questionnaires before randomization and 12 months after randomization.

Conditions

Epilepsy, Generalized

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: SUPPORTIVE_CARE
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

Intervention Group

Intervention Group. Participants randomized to the intervention group will complete the C2C program. They will receive an in-person one-on-one 60-minute education session and will be introduced to, and encouraged to participate in, the programs and support services that are provided by Epilepsy Southwestern Ontario (ESWO). As part of the C2C program, participants will be contacted 6 months later for a supplementary consultation over the telephone and to answer any questions. Epilepsy is unique among chronic, episodic disorders in that PWE lose their ability to make choices during a seizure and depend to a greater degree on the decisions of others including family, friends and colleagues. For this reason, we encourage the PWE to invite their support network to attend the patient education sessions.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Clinic to Community Education Program

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

The C2C program aims to improve participants' knowledge of epilepsy and access to services and to provide support. Participants randomized to the intervention group will complete the C2C program. They will receive an in-person one-on-one 60-minute education session and will be introduced to, and encouraged to participate in, the programs and support services that are provided by Epilepsy Southwestern Ontario (ESWO).

Waitlist Control Group

Waitlist Control Group. The control group continues TAU and will be followed up 12 months after randomization. The control group will receive C2C after the 12-month follow-up.

Group Type: OTHER

Clinic to Community Education Program

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

The C2C program aims to improve participants' knowledge of epilepsy and access to services and to provide support. Participants randomized to the intervention group will complete the C2C program. They will receive an in-person one-on-one 60-minute education session and will be introduced to, and encouraged to participate in, the programs and support services that are provided by Epilepsy Southwestern Ontario (ESWO).

Interventions

Clinic to Community Education Program

The C2C program aims to improve participants' knowledge of epilepsy and access to services and to provide support. Participants randomized to the intervention group will complete the C2C program. They will receive an in-person one-on-one 60-minute education session and will be introduced to, and encouraged to participate in, the programs and support services that are provided by Epilepsy Southwestern Ontario (ESWO).

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

1. Adults (aged ≥18 years) visiting a participating ED for a seizure or an epilepsy-related concern.

2. Adults on anti-seizure medication prior to coming to the ED or prescribed anti-seizure medication at the ED.

3. Providing informed consent and having sufficient English language skills to complete questionnaires and participate in the intervention.

Exclusion Criteria

1. Previous participation in the C2C program.

2. Known diagnosis of psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES).

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Ontario Brain Institute

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute OR Lawson Research Institute of St. Joseph's

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Kathy N Speechley, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

London Health Sciences Centre

Locations

London Health Sciences Centre

London, Ontario, Canada

Countries

Canada

References

Bautista RE, Glen ET, Wludyka PS, Shetty NK. Factors associated with utilization of healthcare resources among epilepsy patients. Epilepsy Res. 2008 May;79(2-3):120-9. doi: 10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2008.01.003. Epub 2008 Mar 12.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 18339521 (View on PubMed)

Bowen JM, Snead OC, Chandra K, Blackhouse G, Goeree R. Epilepsy care in ontario: an economic analysis of increasing access to epilepsy surgery. Ont Health Technol Assess Ser. 2012;12(18):1-41. Epub 2012 Jul 1.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 23074428 (View on PubMed)

Couldridge L, Kendall S, March A. A systematic overview--a decade of research'. The information and counselling needs of people with epilepsy. Seizure. 2001 Dec;10(8):605-14. doi: 10.1053/seiz.2001.0652.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 11792167 (View on PubMed)

Noble AJ, Mathieson A, Ridsdale L, Holmes EA, Morgan M, McKinlay A, Dickson JM, Jackson M, Hughes DA, Goodacre S, Marson AG. Developing patient-centred, feasible alternative care for adult emergency department users with epilepsy: protocol for the mixed-methods observational 'Collaborate' project. BMJ Open. 2019 Nov 2;9(11):e031696. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-031696.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 31678950 (View on PubMed)

Kapoor, Deepa, Joubert, Gary, Thind, Amardeep, Secco, Mary, Speechley, Kathy Nixon. Number of Potentially Deferrable Patients Presenting to Emergency Departments in London with Seizures. Epilepsia 2007; Vol 48, Supplement 6

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

Other Identifiers

9045

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id