Epilepsy educational curriculum for nurses: A report from the Nursing Section of the International League Against Epilepsy

A comprehensive, competency-based epilepsy curriculum is needed to strengthen nurses' capacity to care for people with epilepsy worldwide. Such a curriculum should be adaptable across nursing roles, practice settings, and geographic regions. This report describes the development of a nursing curriculum for the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE). The Curriculum Workgroup of the Nursing Section of the ILAE developed two educational levels: a core level essential for all nurses and a proficient level for nurses who regularly care for people with epilepsy. Each level comprises competencies across five domains: Role of the Nurse, Epilepsy Basics, Nursing Assessment, Nursing Care, and Self-Management Education and Care. Competencies were evaluated through an online survey assessing agreement using a five-point Likert scale. Competencies were accepted if ≥60% of respondents rated them as "extremely important." Items not meeting consensus were reviewed by the Nursing Workgroup and revised, merged, or rejected based on expert opinion. Overall, 55.8% of competencies met acceptance criteria by survey. Remaining competencies were refined through expert review to finalize the curriculum. More than 90% of respondents supported the curriculum, indicated they would use it in practice, and expressed interest in ILAE courses or programs based on the curriculum. This is the first competency-based epilepsy curriculum for nurses from an international epilepsy organization for worldwide use. It will form the basis of future online and in-person educational programs for nurses. The curriculum can be adapted to regional contexts worldwide, helping to address gaps in basic nursing education and continuing professional development.