Abstracts

Implementation and Education Outcomes of the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses Epilepsy Modules

Abstract number : 1.456
Submission category : 15. Practice Resources
Year : 2023
Submission ID : 1255
Source : www.aesnet.org
Presentation date : 12/2/2023 12:00:00 AM
Published date :

Authors :
Presenting Author: Shivani Bhatnagar, DNP, RN, CPNP-PC – Nationwide Children's Hospital

Allison Nelsen, MS, RN, CPNP-AC – Nationwide Children's Hospital; Mariah Eisner, MS – The Ohio State University; Mary Coles, MSN, RN, CHSE – Nationwide Children's Hospital; Thomas Heater, CHSE, RRT, BBA – Nationwide Children's Hospital; Adam Ostendorf, MD – Nationwide Children's Hospital

Rationale: Epilepsy centers and Epilepsy Monitoring Units (EMUs) are specialized in caring for persons with epilepsy. Some patients undergo evaluation including seizure/spell capture, during which they are at higher risk for injury or status epilepticus. The National Association of Epilepsy Centers (NAEC) provides an accreditation framework for epilepsy centers, which includes epilepsy-specific training for nursing staff in level 3 and level 4 epilepsy centers. The Certificate Program for the Seizure and Epilepsy Healthcare Professional created by the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses (AANN) and released in 2022 fulfills this educational requirement. We aimed to evaluate the impact of the newly developed AANN Certificate Program for the Seizure and Epilepsy Healthcare Professional on nursing knowledge and self-reported confidence in providing care for patients in a level 4 epilepsy center.

Methods: This was a prospective cohort study of 39 nurses on the neuroscience floor. We used a pre-test and post-test design in which nurses completed a baseline 20-item knowledge check test and self-reported knowledge and confidence assessment using a Likert scale. Then all participating nurses completed the AANN Epilepsy Certificate.  Following completion of the AANN Epilepsy Certificate the nurses completed in situ simulations in pairs to evaluate their competence in treating status epilepticus (SE) per the unit protocol.  

Results: Mean knowledge check scores increased from 12.3 to 16.1 (p < 0.
Practice Resources