Promoting faster pathways to surgery: a clinical audit of patients with refractory epilepsy.
Virginia MumfordFrances RapportPatti ShihRebecca MitchellAndrew BleaselArmin NikpourGeoffrey HerkesAmy MacRaeMelissa BartleySanjyot VagholkarJeffrey BraithwaitePublished in: BMC neurology (2019)
The findings confirm international data showing significant waiting times between diagnosis of epilepsy and referral to specialist clinics for surgical assessment and highlight different approaches in each clinic in terms of visit numbers and recorded activities. A standardised pathway and data collection, including patient-reported outcome measures, would provide better evidence for whether promoting earlier referral and assessment for surgery improves the lives of this disease group.