Medication Adherence Strategies in Pediatric Epilepsy
Summary
Effective management of epilepsy in children depends critically upon consistent intake of prescribed anti-seizure medications. However, a variety of factors—including developmental stage, caregiver knowledge, socioeconomic constraints and health service access—can undermine adherence. Strategies to improve adherence range from educational and behavioural interventions delivered to caregivers and patients, to system-level changes such as appointment reminders, telemedicine support and streamlined prescription refill processes. Tailored interventions address both practical barriers (for example, difficulty in obtaining medications, complex dosing schedules and cost) and psychosocial factors (including stigma, forgetfulness and medication beliefs). Emerging approaches harness digital technologies, patient-centred counselling and interdisciplinary team care to foster routine use of anti-seizure treatments, with the overarching goal of reducing seizure frequency and improving quality of life.
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Medication Adherence Strategies in Pediatric Epilepsy publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in medication adherence strategies in pediatric epilepsy across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Medication adherence: The extent to which a patient takes medicines as prescribed, in terms of timing, dosage and frequency.
Anti-seizure medications (ASMs): Drugs used to prevent or reduce the frequency of epileptic seizures, also known as antiepileptic drugs.
Pill burden: The total number of pills a patient must take daily, which can negatively affect adherence when high.
Caregiver education: Targeted instruction provided to parents or guardians on disease management, medication administration and strategies to support the child’s treatment regimen.
Self-management: A patient’s active involvement in monitoring symptoms, following medication schedules and engaging in lifestyle adjustments to control epilepsy.
References
- Interventions to Improve Medication Adherence in Children With Epilepsy: A Systematic Review. Cureus (2024).
- Treatment access barriers and medication adherence among children with epilepsy in western China: A cross-sectional study. Epilepsy & Behavior (2023).
- Adherence to anti-seizure medications and associated factors among children with epilepsy at tertiary Hospital in Southwest Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study. BMC Neurology (2022).
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