Abstracts

Health-related quality of life (H-RQOL) is a middle range nursing theory that reflects the nursing profession[apos]s emphasis upon holistic and individualized patient care. Simply defined, the concept of H-RQOL may represent an individual[apos]s satisfaction with a specific area of life that he or she has identified as vital. Wilson and Cleary identify five determinants that influence and are influenced by overall QOL to produce an individual[apos]s H-RQOL: biological and physiological variables, symptoms, functional status (including the physical, social, role, and psychological/spiritual domains), and general health perceptions. This model illustrates how the diagnosis of epilepsy may exert influence that is far-reaching and pivotal upon all aspects of an individual[apos]s life.
Children and adolescents are in the midst of vital developmental stages, with the desired end result being the attainment of a sense personal and interpersonal competence as well as personal identity. Anxiety related to the fear of experiencing seizures in public, feelings of [ldquo]different-ness[rdquo] from peers, dependence upon others, and the stigma that plagues the diagnosis of epilepsy may present a significant obstacle to an individual[apos]s psychosocial development, and may result in problems that affect every aspect of every day living. The purpose of this project is to explore the actual impact of the epilepsy diagnosis upon the H-RQOL among the children and adolescents care for at a regional epilepsy center, as well as to determine the necessity of including an abbreviated H-RQOL evaluation as part of the nursing assessment at clinic visits., An abbreviated H-RQOL assessment tool was developed based upon the QOLIE-31 scale. Questions were selected to represent areas of life that were deemed significant to children of school age and adolescents [ndash] self-concept, family life, social life, and medications. During scheduled appointments, as part of the interval nursing assessment, patients were provided a scoring tool and asked scripted questions by a registered nurse., To date, five children have been interviewed, ranging from 10 to 15 years of age. When asked to rate their current life satisfaction on a Likert scale of 1 ([ldquo]Very unhappy with life right now[rdquo]) to 5 ([ldquo]Very happy[rdquo]), the average response was 2.4. All of the respondents stated that they worry about having a seizure, as well as feel that having seizures affects their grades. Two of the children interviewed stated that their epilepsy makes them feel different from others., Data collection is ongoing, and it is impossible to draw accurate conclusions with such a small sample size. However, it is clear from these few responses that the diagnosis of seizures is one that affects many areas of a child[apos]s life, and inclusion in the nursing assessment may be crucial to limit negative impact upon psychosocial development.,