Creating and using a clinical testing tool in an epilepsy monitoring unit

Video-electroencephalographic monitoring (VEM) is the gold standard for evaluating patients with epilepsy and seizures. The epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) provides an environment in which to examine patients’ seizures using VEM, to diagnose and characterise events/seizures, and to conduct a presurgical evaluation. Seizure observation and assessment are crucial roles for clinical nurses working in the EMU. However, different institutions use different seizure assessment tools. This lack of standardisation complicates the provision of optimal care for patients with seizures. This article aims to synthesise current recommendations regarding the components of seizure assessment and describe how they have been organised to form a standardised assessment tool.