The role of patient companions in long-term video-EEG monitoring

In developing countries it is difficult to have full-time dedicated nurses in Epilepsy Monitoring Units (EMU). Our one-bed EMU is within the Neurology Service and is adequately staffed during daytime working hours only. So we created a new model where the patient's companion was asked to press a nur se call button, allowing the examination of the patient by the nurse. In th is study we aimed to understand how patient companions behaved and which fa ctors influenced their behaviour. Patients were allowed to choose a single companion who were educated by the specialist monitoring nurse according to a protocol. Only the first record ed seizures of the patients were included in the study. The seizures were r eviewed from the videocassette recordings and the behaviour of the companio ns was scored according to the results of the following three questions: (1 ) when was the seizure noticed?; (2) was the nurse call button pushed?; and (3) did the companion prevent the recording of the seizure by the camera? The companions were grouped according to the following criteria; age, sex, level of education, type of relationship. The scores were compared for each criterion separately. The behaviours of the 50 companions (34F, 16M; age: 25-72) were studied. Wh en statistically compared for age, sex and level of education, there were n o significant differences between different groups. However, the mean score of the 47 companions who were immediate family members (3.72) was greater than those three who were not (1.66) In one-bed EMUs, patient companions who are family members can help nurses in the early detection of seizures. (C) 2000 BEA Trading Ltd.