How to improve clinical outcome of epileptic seizure control based on medication adherence? A literature review

Abstract

Anti-Epileptic Drugs (AEDs) are the main therapy for epilepsy to prevent seizures. Non-adherence situation plays an important factor in the failure of seizure control. Such a condition may generate several impacts on clinical, social, and economic aspect. Several methods are used to measure adherence in epilepsy patients, including direct and indirect measurement. The direct measure involves measurement of drug levels in hair or body fluids such as blood and saliva. Whereas, indirect measure involves the non-biological tools, for example, a self-report measure, pill counts, appointment attendance, medication refills, and seizure frequency. Numerous factors may affect adherence in epilepsy patients, such as age, sex, and seizure aetiology, seizure sites, which are categorised as irreversible factors and hardly to be improved. However, there are factors that can be influenced to improve adherence such as patient knowledge, medication, cultural, health care professionals, and national health policies, which are related to treatment and education factor which is associated with behaviour to be likely adherence.