Improving Medication Adherence in Kids with Epilepsy

Source: Epilepsia

Summary

Researchers studied how well mobile health (mHealth) tools could help caregivers of young children with epilepsy stick to their prescribed antiseizure medications. The study involved 461 participants, mostly underserved families, from four epilepsy centers. The children in the study had an average age of about 7.6 years, and the researchers wanted to see if different mHealth strategies could improve medication adherence.

The key findings showed that caregivers who received a combination of mHealth education, automated reminders, and personalized feedback had a significant improvement in their adherence to medication compared to those who only received basic education and reminders. Specifically, the treatment group improved their adherence by about 13.2%, while the control group only improved by 3.1%. However, it’s important to note that while there were initial improvements in adherence and some positive effects on seizure freedom, these benefits did not last over time.

This study is important because it highlights the potential of using technology to support families managing pediatric epilepsy, especially those who may not have easy access to healthcare resources. However, the decline in adherence over time suggests that ongoing support may be necessary to maintain these improvements. Additionally, the study focused on a specific group of families, so the results may not apply to all children with epilepsy.

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