Digital Medical Simulation Platform Improved Ability of Neurologists to Diagnose and Treat Seizures in Patients with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex
Abstract number :
1.214
Submission category :
4. Clinical Epilepsy / 4C. Clinical Treatments
Year :
2022
Submission ID :
2204321
Source :
www.aesnet.org
Presentation date :
12/3/2022 12:00:00 PM
Published date :
Nov 22, 2022, 05:24 AM
Authors :
Thomas Finnegan, PhD – Medscape Education; Christine Considine, BA – Medscape Education; Kathryn Merlo, PhD – Medscape Education; Martina Bebin, MD – University of Alabama at Birmingham
Rationale: The heterogeneity of presentation, multi-organ involvement, and potentially challenging-to-manage seizures experienced by many people with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) often presents a diagnostic and management challenge for neurologists. This study utilized an online medical simulation platform to improve the ability of neurologists to assess, diagnose, and select appropriate anti-seizure medications (ASMs) for patients with TSC.
Methods: The simulation consisted of two cases presented in a platform that allowed physician learners to choose from numerous lab tests and assessment scales as well as thousands of diagnoses, treatments, and procedures matching the scope and depth of actual practice. The clinical decisions made by the participants were analyzed using an artificial intelligence engine and instantaneous clinical guidance was provided employing current evidence-based and expert faculty recommendations. Participant decisions were collected after clinical guidance and compared with each user’s baseline data using a McNemar’s test to assess the impact of simulation-based education on clinical decisions made by participants. Data was collected from May 21, 2021 through August 3, 2021.
Results: The assessment sample consisted of neurologists (n=91 for case 1 and n=86 for case 2) who made clinical decisions within the simulation. As a result of clinical guidance provided through simulation, significant improvements were observed in several areas of management of patients with epilepsy, specifically:_x000D_
_x000D_
- Improvement in the selecting the appropriate tests for patients with seizures due to TSC (P< 0.05 for all comparisons)_x000D_
- Improvement in the number of participants who selected an appropriate non-pharmacologic and pharmacologic treatment for the treatment of seizures due to TSC not responding to a current treatment regimen (P< 0.05 for most comparisons)_x000D_
- Greater ability to diagnose TSC in an adult patient who is still experiencing seizures despite receiving ASMs for many years and not receiving a TSC diagnosis during childhood (P< 0.001)_x000D_
Clinical Epilepsy