Intervention to improve compliance with pediatric anticonvulsant therapy.
Daily anticonvulsant drug therapy is the major treatment of seizure disorders. Compliance with the prescribed therapy is essential but not always achieved. Among 201 pediatric seizure clinic patients taking phenobarbital and phenytoin, 70 (35%) were judged noncompliant on at least one medication. The mothers of these patients were randomly assigned to experimental or control groups. An educational intervention in the form of a mothers' group discussion led by the clinic social worker was tested. On follow-up, medication compliance in the intervention group was judged significantly greater than that of the control group.
D000293:Adolescent; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D008824:Michigan; D009035:Mothers / Q000193:education; D010349:Patient Compliance