Audit on management of seizures in six Swedish hospitals

Six Swedish hospitals (four university hospitals and two regional hospitals) participated in a pan-European quality assurance project regarding acute management of seizures. Three hundred consecutive emergency department (ED) visits for unprovoked epileptic seizure were assessed (50 per participating hospital). Patients were generally seen by a physician in a timely manner and the quality of the medical care was good. Eyewitness statements were sought in 72% of visits after a first seizure. There is room for improvement regarding documentation of exposure to alcohol or illicit drugs and information about driving of motor vehicles, which was only documented in a minority of cases. Only 56% of patients with known epilepsy had seen a neurologist in the year before their ED visit, indicating shortcomings in the provision of epilepsy care.