PO049 What drives ed attendance in people with epilepsy

Attendance at UK Emergency Departments (EDs) for People with epilepsy (PWE) following seizure can be unnecessary and costly. The characteristics of PWE attending a UK rural district ED in a 12 month period was examined to foster better understanding of relevant psycho-social factors associated with ED use by conducting cross sectional interviews using standardised questionnaires. Of the total participants (n=46) approximately one third of the study cohort attended ED on three or more occasions in the 12 month study period and accounted for 65% of total ED attendances reported. Seizure frequency and lower deprivation status were associated with increased ED attendance while factors such as knowledge of epilepsy, medication management and stigma were not. Similarities in frequency of repeat attendees were comparable to a study in urban population but other factors varied considerable. Our findings suggest that regular ED attendees may be appropriate for specific enhanced intervention though consideration needs to be given to the fact that population characteristics may vary across regions.