Epilepsy audit: do we document everything?

Abstract

BACKGROUND: An audit of the hospital notes and letters of patients with epilepsy sent to general practitioners was undertaken. AIMS: (a) To examine the frequency of important omissions in history taking and role of precipitants in seizure control, (b) to determine whether appropriate investigations had been performed and their results, (c) to assess whether letters sent to GPs contain all the appropriate information and advice, and to evaluate the waiting time for out-patient clinics and investigations. METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted in a teaching hospital setting. A computerised search of the clinical database of a consultant neurologist was performed on patients with epilepsy. The notes of the first 100 names selected randomly by the computer were analysed. The study period was during the years 1998-2005. Age range was from 17-72 years. The male:female ratio was 1:1. CONCLUSION: Major deficiencies in documentation were identified in this study.