Optimizing Care in the Pediatric Epilepsy Monitoring Unit
In the pediatric epilepsy monitoring unit (PEMU) of a large midwestern hospital, patient care is optimized through the design of the unit, nurse and family education, communication, and medication administration. Four years after the PEMU was developed, the hospital held multidisciplinary discussions and surveyed nurses working in the PEMU to identify areas of nursing confidence. On the basis of the findings, the hospital refined some aspects of patient care, implemented an educational program for nurses who work in the PEMU, and established of a core group of PEMU nurses. Descriptions of the education and communication procedures and of the design features introduced to provide optimal patient care may be useful to other facilities seeking to design and implement PEMUs.
Several articles have been written about the use of prolonged video-electroencephalography (video-EEG) for care of epilepsy patients. Important aspects include the importance of video-EEG monitoring for diagnosis, design of the monitoring area and equipment, safety of the patient, and interpretation of video-EEGs (Alexandre, Charpentier, Metivier, & Ruter, 2001; Cascino, 2002; Sanders, Cysyk, & Bare, 1996; Sarkissian, Politzer, Zahn, & Doran, 2001; Scott, Fish, & Allen, 2000; Shindollar, Castillo & Buelow, 1995; Thompson, 1995). Few articles focus on patient care in the pediatric epilepsy monitoring unit (PEMU), although Kolodgie (1994) did provide a description of the PEMU at a children's hospital. Kull and Emerson (2005) described technical and staffing considerations for EEG monitoring in an intensive care unit. To the best of our knowledge, no single article describes in detail outpatient and inpatient procedures to optimize care for this pediatric population. This article describes patient care in the PEMU of a large midwestern hospital, including a description of the PEMU, nurse and family education, communication, and medication administration. The discussion focuses on the special considerations required for seizure monitoring of the pediatric population. It also describes the program evaluation and refinements made in each area in response to results from a formal survey of the nursing staff.
Abstract and Introduction
Abstract
In the pediatric epilepsy monitoring unit (PEMU) of a large midwestern hospital, patient care is optimized through the design of the unit, nurse and family education, communication, and medication administration. Four years after the PEMU was developed, the hospital held multidisciplinary discussions and surveyed nurses working in the PEMU to identify areas of nursing confidence. On the basis of the findings, the hospital refined some aspects of patient care, implemented an educational program for nurses who work in the PEMU, and established of a core group of PEMU nurses. Descriptions of the education and communication procedures and of the design features introduced to provide optimal patient care may be useful to other facilities seeking to design and implement PEMUs.
Introduction
Several articles have been written about the use of prolonged video-electroencephalography (video-EEG) for care of epilepsy patients. Important aspects include the importance of video-EEG monitoring for diagnosis, design of the monitoring area and equipment, safety of the patient, and interpretation of video-EEGs (Alexandre, Charpentier, Metivier, & Ruter, 2001; Cascino, 2002; Sanders, Cysyk, & Bare, 1996; Sarkissian, Politzer, Zahn, & Doran, 2001; Scott, Fish, & Allen, 2000; Shindollar, Castillo & Buelow, 1995; Thompson, 1995). Few articles focus on patient care in the pediatric epilepsy monitoring unit (PEMU), although Kolodgie (1994) did provide a description of the PEMU at a children's hospital. Kull and Emerson (2005) described technical and staffing considerations for EEG monitoring in an intensive care unit. To the best of our knowledge, no single article describes in detail outpatient and inpatient procedures to optimize care for this pediatric population. This article describes patient care in the PEMU of a large midwestern hospital, including a description of the PEMU, nurse and family education, communication, and medication administration. The discussion focuses on the special considerations required for seizure monitoring of the pediatric population. It also describes the program evaluation and refinements made in each area in response to results from a formal survey of the nursing staff.
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