Aimee W. Smith, PhD

“One other thing I think is really vital, regardless of who’s treating the epilepsy, is to just measure quality of life in some way...A lot of times we make assumptions about how things are going for our patients but really we see a 10- to 30-minute snapshot.”

 annual meeting of the American Epilepsy Society (AES)

, December 6-10, 2019, in Baltimore, Maryland, 

 sat down with Aimee W. Smith, PhD, assistant professor of psychology, East Carolina University, to discuss adherence and quality of life in patients with epilepsy—specifically adolescents and teenagers.

These 2 aspects of their care are critical, and although there are no age-specific guidelines for improving adherence, there are free tools available for clinicians to utilize. Smith offered a look at number of those tools, as well as highlighted the need for clinicians to ensure the burden of responsibility of taking medications does not lie solely on the child. For those struggling with adherence, her best advice for clinicians is to utilize problem-solving to identify what is obstructing the ability to adhere, and then provide a solution on a patient-by-patient basis.

As well, she offered some advice for clinicians to take the time to measure quality of life in these patients—as well as adults&mdash;as the snapshot view physicians get often does not provide a full enough picture of each patient’s situation.

Videos

The assistant professor of psychology at East Carolina discussed how to improve adherence in young adults and children with epilepsy, and how physicians can go about checking quality of life in patients.

Aimee W. Smith, PhD: Caring for Pediatric Patients With Epilepsy

“We know, for example, one thing that works across age groups is problem-solving—specifically identifying what is getting in the way of adherence.”

Despite the essential need for control of their seizures, many patients with epilepsy struggle with adherence. A number of these patients are refractory, and a large group are also younger in age—teenagers and adolescents&mdash;making adherence a difficult challenge to tackle for those providing their treatment.

 sat down with Aimee W. Smith, PhD, assistant professor of psychology, East Carolina University, to discuss this problem. Her best advice for clinicians is to utilize problem-solving to identify what is obstructing the ability to adhere, and then provide a solution on a patient-by-patient basis.

Smith noted that addressing these challenges, such as patients forgetting to take or being unable to afford medication, or even requiring medication delivery, can all be addressed with a little creativity, and by finding what works for what patient. She explained that for those who forget, sometimes a reminder from friends and family is best, while others may only need a daily cellphone reminder.

The assistant professor of psychology at East Carolina University spoke to the challenges of overcoming adherence issues in patients with epilepsy, for whom it is so vital.

Aimee W. Smith, PhD: Improving Adherence In Epilepsy

“When we think about addressing epilepsy, we want to stop their seizures or reduce them as much as we can, and we want to make sure we do that with minimal or no side effects. But a lot of times, we forget about this third piece: quality of life.”

When treating individuals with epilepsy, physicians are often faced with patients who have challenging, refractory disease. With many patients on concomitant antiepileptic drugs, the focus on seizure reduction—and hopefully, seizure freedom&mdash;is often paramount. But what sometimes falls to the wayside is the patient’s quality of life with the condition.

Aimee W. Smith, PhD, assistant professor of psychology, East Carolina University, focuses much of her practice and research on improving patient adherence and quality of life. She describes quality of life as “the patient’s perspective of how things are going generally in the context of their lives.” This includes their social experiences and challenges in daily activities.

 sat down with Smith to inquire about how quality of life can be improved for patients who often struggle to experience improvement in the main focus of their treatment: seizure reduction.

Smith offered insight into what resources are available to physicians and providers and what techniques can be useful to help patients have a better quality of life in light of refractory and uncontrolled seizures.

The assistant professor of psychology at East Carolina University offered insight about the resources are available to physicians and providers and what techniques can be useful to help patients have a better quality of life in light of refractory and uncontrolled seizures.

Aimee W. Smith, PhD

Articles

Aimee W. Smith, PhD: Caring for Pediatric Patients With Epilepsy

Aimee W. Smith, PhD: Improving Adherence In Epilepsy

Aimee W. Smith, PhD: Addressing Quality of Life In Epilepsy