Improving Quality of Care for Status Epilepticus: Putting Protocols into Practice

Timely treatment of status epilepticus (SE) improves outcomes, however gaps between recommended and implemented care are common. This review analyzes obstacles and explores interventions to optimize effective, evidence-based treatment of SE.

Seizure action plans, rescue medications, and noninvasive wearables with seizure detection capabilities can facilitate early intervention for prolonged seizures in the home and school. In the field, standardized EMS protocols, EMS education, and screening tools can address variability in SE definitions and treatment, particularly benzodiazepine dosing. In the emergency room and hospital, provider education, SE order sets and alerts, and rapid EEG technologies, can shorten time to first-line therapy, second-line therapy, and EEG initiation.

Widespread, sustained improvement in SE care remains challenging. A multipronged approach including emphasis on pre-hospital intervention, treatment protocols adapted to local contexts, and SE databases to systematically collect process and outcome metrics have the potential to transform SE treatment and outcomes.