Nursing Initiation of Rapid Electroencephalography Point-of-Care Monitoring: Lessons From the Pioneer Summit.

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Status epilepticus is an emergency, and applying electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring is an important part of diagnosing and treating seizure. The use of rapidly applied limited array continuous EEG (rapid EEG) has become technologically feasible in recent years. Nurse-led protocols using rapid EEG as a point-of-care monitor are increasingly being adopted. METHODS: A virtual summit meeting of nurses and physicians was convened to discuss various technological and practical aspects of rapid EEG, including the use of nurse-led protocols using rapid EEG. After oral presentations, participants responded to a survey indicating their level of agreement with key position statements. RESULTS: From the 52 participants who participated in the 2-hour summit, there was a strong agreement with the statement "Bedside nurses can start point-of-care EEG with automated seizure alert software to provide more informed care," with a median Likert score of 5 (completely agree) and an interquartile range of 4 to 5. CONCLUSION: Using rapid EEG to monitor for seizure is a valid and valuable method that falls within the nursing domain. Nurse-driven protocols may provide the opportunity to enhance patient care through early identification of seizures.