Epileptic Attack, Research Proposal Example

Community Awareness on Proper First Aid Measures During an Epileptic Attack

Introduction

Epilepsy is a widespread brain condition whereby a person experiences unprovoked recurring seizures. In most cases, when a person experiences two or more seizures, they are diagnosed with epilepsy. This is because the main sign of epilepsy is seizures. Seizures occur due to a small change in the regular activity of the brain, which may make a person fall, shake, lose consciousness and awareness of the surroundings and can also appear as staring spells. Depending on the type of seizures, they can last for a few seconds or even minutes. Safety precaution measures should be adopted to ensure proper management of the seizures to reduce risks related to epilepsy.

To determine the awareness of the community on proper first aid measures to administer during an epileptic attack, the study aims at exploring the knowledge of the public by identifying the first aid measures people take during an epileptic seizure and the how these measures are different from what scientific literature advices. Lack of awareness of the appropriate first aid measures to take during an epileptic attack results in administering first aid measures that are inappropriate, and this may cause more harm to the patient.

Background of the Study

Epilepsy is a common brain condition which may be caused by a genetic disorder or from a brain injury that is acquired through stroke or trauma. Epilepsy may be treated through proper medication and in other cases, through a change in diet or surgery (McKhann et al. 2020, p.E1). Epilepsy can only be managed but is not curable. An epileptic attack occurs because of abnormal burst of the electrical motion of the brain that affects the normal brain activity, which lasts for a brief period, not more than 5 minutes. About 1% of a population is affected by epilepsy at any given time (Sun et al. 2008, p.68). Seizures due to epilepsy may either be provoked or unprovoked. From a given population, up to 10% of the people experience at least one epileptic attack. One can experience epilepsy at any age, but mostly, the start of the state is likely to observe more in children than in adults.

Today, medication has helped around 80% of people living with epilepsy to have control of their seizures. This means that there is a small number of people who take the medication, but it does not help them and others who never take any medicines as they consider it unhelpful. Administering first aid during an epileptic attack is aimed at keeping the patient safe until the seizure stops on its own and also being able to know when more help is required. Most of the times, the management of epilepsy in hospitals is successful. However, assessment of the awareness of the community on proper first aid measures to administer during an epileptic attack should be measured to ensure better handling of the patients.

Community-based awareness needs to be enhanced to inform the public about epilepsy and the proper ways to recognize seizures. The public should also be educated on ways to administer first aid and to assist a seizing person. Some of the standard first aid measures commonly used by the community on a seizing person include putting a spoon in the mouth of an epileptic person during an epileptic attack, restraining a person experiencing a seizure and in some other cases, people may move the seizing person. These methods are against the recommended first aid measures to someone experiencing a seizure. Therefore the community needs to understand the proper techniques to reduce risks associated with epilepsy.

Previous studies conducted on the assessment of public awareness towards relevant first aid measures show that the community still believe on myths about epilepsy and the first aid measures they administer differ from those recommended and provided science literature and the doctors. This calls for the enhancement of awareness measures through community-based campaigns that deliver relevant knowledge. To remove the fear of epileptic patients and anxiety among the public, there is a need to stress on proper measures to administer first aid to a seizing person. This study will, therefore, fill the gap on the disparities between the common first aid practice used by the community on seizing epileptic people and the research evidence from the recommended science literature.

Statement of the Problem

There is a lack of information concerning the appropriate first aid measures to be administered during an epileptic attack. Most of the first aid measures used by the community are unsupported by literature. Therefore there is a need for community awareness on the proper first aid measures to administer during an epileptic attack. According to available data, each day, about 87 individuals are diagnosed with epilepsy. According to research conducted in the U.S., one million visits to the emergency department annually, are as a result of seizures. Offering the community with self-management measures to adopt in case of an epileptic attack may help in reducing the mortality rate, and the also improves their confidence in managing seizures, and this also reduces the number of unnecessary visits to the emergency department when an epileptic attack occurs.

Objectives of the Study

General Objective

This study aims to examine the awareness of the community on proper first aid measurers to administer to a person during an epileptic attack.

Specific Objectives

• To determine the first aid measures used during an epileptic attack that the community is aware of
• To determine the recommended first aid measures that are advised by research evidence and scientific literature.
• To determine the dangers that may be caused by the use of inappropriate first aid measures on seizing persons.
• To determine the disparities between the common first aid practices by the community during an epileptic attack and the practices put across by research evidence.

Research Questions

• What first aid practices in epileptic attack is the community aware of?
• Which measures of first aid practices during an epileptic attack are recommended by research evidence?
• How can the use of inappropriate first aid measures on a seizing person affect them?
• What disparities exist between common first-aid practices to a seizing person within the community and those recommended by research evidence?

Justification

Although administering first aid practices to a seizing person plays an integral part in ensuring the safety of the person, the community is not aware of the relevant safety measures and practices to use in assisting a person having an epileptic attack. Highlighting the proper and appropriate first aid measures to practice on a seizing person is worthwhile in providing comfort and care to anyone during and after an epileptic attack and also in keeping the person safe and knowing when you require more help. The community should be equipped with relevant knowledge on how to use the appropriate first aid steps to a person experiencing a seizure. Knowing these measures can help in saving lives and making a difference in someone’s life.  Thus, the benefits envisaged from this study would enhance the improve humanitarian objectives.

Literature Review

Epileptic seizures

Epilepsy can be defined as recurrent and unprovoked seizures caused by a chronic disorder. A sudden burst of electrical activity in the brain causes a rush which leads seizures. Seizures can either be generalized, which have an effect on the whole brain, or partial, which only affects only one part of the brain (Tam &Barr 2019 p. 464). In the case of a mild seizure, it may be difficult to recognize its occurrence as one only loses consciousness for a few seconds. On the other hand, intense seizures cause uncontrollable twitches in the muscles and spasms, which last up to several minutes. In the event of a substantial seizure, the person may become confused, lack consciousness and may later not remember what happened.

Globally, epilepsy affects over sixty-five (65) million people (Thijs et al. 2019, p.690). Anyone is prone to this condition, but it is most common in children than it is in adults and it tends to affect more on males than in females (Thijs et al. 2019, p.692). The condition is not curable, but it can be managed through proper medication, surgery or even a change in diet. In 6 out of 10 epileptic people, the cause of the condition cannot be determined. However, various possible reasons have been identified. They include brain injury due to trauma, stroke, high fever or illness that is serious, an insufficient amount of oxygen in the brain, dementia, cyst or tumour in the brain, lack of oxygen in the brain or malfunctioning of the brain at childbirth, from infectious diseases such as meningitis and also disorders occurring genetically. Identifying triggers to an epileptic seizure is not an easy thing, but several common situations have been reported to trigger seizures. These triggers include inadequate sleep, stressing conditions, due to an illness, hunger due to meal skipping, taking specific medicines or drugs, lights or patterns that are flashing or bright and in other cases, failure to take anti-epileptic medication.

First Aid Measures for an Epileptic Attack

Once a seizure starts, there is not much to be done, but to protect the person from harm. Although seizures may be dangerous, most of them are not emergencies and can be handled by providing first aid. First-aid measures administered during an epileptic attack are aimed at ensuring the person is kept safe until the seizure stops on its own (Kangevari et al. 2019 p.91).

Dangers Associated with Common First Aid Measures

The misunderstanding of epilepsy as a disorder has contributed to negative behaviours and attitudes towards those suffering from the condition. Epileptic people induce fear and anxiety to the public, and they tend to be nervous around people who have epilepsy for fear that they may experience seizures any time. This has brought about the development of many myths about epilepsy (Nelson et al. 2019, p.295). Some people believe that during a seizure, the person can swallow their tongue when experiencing a seizure, but this is not the case. For others, they think that epilepsy is a condition that is contagious and can be transferred by being near the epileptic person. Others view epilepsy as a disability and that people suffering from this condition cannot survive in jobs that are stressful and demand physical strength. In some rare cases, people also believe that dogs can sense when someone is about to get an epileptic attack which is not the case.

From the myths, people tend to administer some inappropriate first aid measures during an epileptic attack which may cause more harm than good. One of the dangerous first-aid measure used by the community includes forcing objects, for example, a spoon into the mouth of a person experiencing a seizure. In the event of a seizure, other people tend to restrain movement of the victim experiencing the seizure. Another measure is the use of CPR, which is the of mouth to mouth breathing on the patient. In some cases, people may also offer food or water to the person experiencing seizures. Some of these first aid measures provided by the community may yield more harm to the patient.

First Aid Measures that are Appropriate and Acceptable

Understanding the appropriate first aid measures to provide to a person experiencing a seizure is necessary. The first thing is to ensure you remain calm when someone suffers a seizure when you are with them. In the event of an epileptic attack, and the person is not awake or aware of what is happening, ensure that lay the person onto their side to make them comfortable, ensure that their clothes around the neck are loosened, put a soft pillow under their head, even though the person may look as if they have stopped breathing, CPR should not be used to rescue their breathing. You should also not insert any objects into their mouth as it may break their teeth, do not restrain the person, provide reassurance to the person until they recover and also don’t leave them alone. Where possible, calculate the time of the seizure and if it exceeds five minutes, call an ambulance. The adoption of the appropriate first aid measures reduces risks due to epilepsy.

Research Methodology

Study Setting and Design

The study will be conducted on participants who have had an encounter with epileptic people and how they helped provide first aid to the person. Cross-sectional descriptive study design will be used to carry out the research. A qualitative research design will be adopted. Literature supports that qualitative study best fits “why” and “how” types of research questions regarding human Behavior (Given 2008). In contrast, the study question raised by this study is a “why” form of a question, and it follows that, qualitative research would be the best means of conducting out the study. Data was collected through interviews and administering questionnaires.

Target Population

The study population will be the people who have had an encounter with someone experiencing a seizure whereby the target population will provide relevant patient information regarding the study. There will be no gender bias in terms of sample selection

Sampling Methods

Purposive sampling will be adopted to recruit the study participants. Only potential participants who have met the inclusion criteria will be recruited to participate in the study.

Data Analysis

All data will be entered into two Microsoft Excel sheets, compared for discrepancy and corrections done. Later it will be imported into SPSS version 20 and analyzed. Descriptive statistics will be calculated and presented in summary tables. Chi-square test will be done to establish the association between the variables.

Data Ethics

The researchers will explain to the subject of the study the goal and objectives of the study. Study subjects will be allowed to opt-out of the survey at any point without any prejudice.

References

Given, L.M. ed., 2008. The Sage encyclopedia of qualitative research methods. Sage publications.

Kangevari, M.a., Kolahi, A.A., Farsar, A.R. and Kermaniranjbar, S., 2019. Public awareness, attitudes, and first-aid measures on epilepsy in Tehran. Iranian Journal of Child Neurology, 13(1), p.91.

McKhann, G.M., McEvoy, A.W., Gross, R.E. and Chabardes, S., 2020. Introduction. Surgical treatment of epilepsy. Neurosurgical Focus, 48(4), p.E1.

Nelson, S.F.J. and Robert, C., 2019. Intervention for reducing epilepsy-associated stigma. Epilepsy & Behavior, 90, p.295.

Pitkänen, A., Buckmaster, P., Galanopoulou, A.S. and Moshé, S.L. eds., 2017. Models of seizures and epilepsy. Academic Press.

Sun, F.T., Morrell, M.J. and Wharen, R.E., 2008. Responsive cortical stimulation for the treatment of epilepsy. Neurotherapeutics, 5(1), pp.68-74.

Tam, D.M. and Barr, W.B., 2019. Seizure disorders. The Oxford Handbook of Adult Cognitive Disorders, p.464.

Thijs, R.D., Surges, R., O’Brien, T.J. and Sander, J.W., 2019. Epilepsy in adults. The Lancet, 393(10172), pp.689-701.