Changes in the quality of life of persons with epilepsy, after the implementation of an occupational therapy intervention with drama activities.

PURPOSE: Epilepsy is a chronic disorder that affects all domains of daily living. Especially, in the case of drug resistance, it is usually associated with impairment of quality of life (QOL). The opportunity to self-express is crucial for maintaining mental health. Therefore, many non-pharmaceutical interventions have been utilized to relieve psychiatric symptoms, such as fear, anxiety, and depression in persons with epilepsy. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of the occupational therapy program with drama activities (ODTA) on the QOL of patients with epilepsy. METHODS: In total, 15 patients with epilepsy from the region of Thrace, Greece, were enrolled in a 3-month OTDA program focusing on the relief of anxiety symptoms and self-regulation. Each patient's QOL was measured using the Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory (QOLIE-31) mean scores. The reliability change index was calculated and the Wilcoxon paired test was used to determine QOL changes post-intervention compared to pre-intervention. RESULTS: Statistically significant improvements were observed in fear of having a seizure (p =.004), overall quality (p =.001), emotional well-being (p =.004), energy fatigue (p =.014), and total QOLIE (p =.001) score after the intervention. The changes in the QOLIE score were more prominent among female individuals (male vs female: p =.028 vs p =.008). CONCLUSION: This study highlights the importance of providing an ODTA program in patients with epilepsy and proposes its broader combined application as a complementary intervention in such patients.

Brain Trauma Mortality Rate Score Scale (BTMRSS): Postmortem Evaluation of the Events / 대한신경손상학회지

Objective@#Brain trauma and its burden is becoming a significant cause of permanent damage and deterioration. Prioritization at the place of the incident and calculation of mortality are leading factors for the final management, but all of them are obtained from living patients. When the autopsies are made there is no actual score system to guide the forensic scientists in their conclusions. Should all of the cadavers with traumatic brain injury (TBI) have been dead? Therefore, we aim to present a score system—brain trauma mortality score scale (BTMSS), aiming to evaluate postmortem the actual risk of mortality. @*Methods@#We established a score scale, which could be used on cadavers for the evaluation of the events. Afterwards, we applied this score scale on the reports of the cadavers who suffered blunt force TBI for a 10-year period of time between 2007 and 2016. Thereafter, the results were processed with SPSS version 25. @*Results@#The outcome showed that there is a significant difference between the scores of the cadavers who died at the place of the incident and those who died in hospital thus approving that the BTMSS works well, as well as the importance of level I trauma center. @*Conclusion@#Every score system could show something useful for the management of the TBIs. The solution and improvement in the outcome of the current study would be a level I trauma center with a qualified neurosurgical department.