Optimal clinical pathway for adults with epilepsy

This optimal clinical pathway for adults with epilepsy was designed by a working group of epilepsy specialist clinicians and charity representatives.

Download the optimal clinical pathway here.

The group emphasises the need for PWE to be given access to a “first point of contact” with epilepsy expertise to triage care and provide local advice. The pathway is designed to keep as much care local when possible. As such, it specifies when patients need to be seen in a regional neuroscience centre and provides recommendations for step-down from tertiary and secondary services.

This pathway is expected to create efficiency savings while improving the quality of epilepsy services. Efficiency savings can be made with early diagnosis and attention to local management, both of which have been shown to reduce care costs while improving patient outcomes.

With current models of care, there are insufficient numbers of epilepsy specialist consultants and nurses to deliver a timely service in all areas. It is therefore important that the service addresses barriers in patient flow through the clinical pathway. Another barrier to the optimal pathway is the inability of centres to receive, store or share video monitoring and other patient information. Improving methods of information sharing between providers will facilitate early diagnosis and join up patient care.

Key enablers of the optimal pathway include specialist networking and virtual consultation. Additionally, increased focus on data sharing or a national epilepsy register or patient portal would greatly facilitate communication between clinicians and improve patient care.

The cognitive and mental health comorbidities of epilepsy are substantial and people with epilepsy should have access to integrated services, with access to neuropsychological mental health services across the pathway.

Download the optimal clinical pathway here.

The cross-cutting theme pathways should be viewed alongside this pathway.