Perspective of epilepsy care in Norway

Seizure control is adequate for more than half of Norwegian patients with epilepsy, and most of these individuals lead normal, productive lives. Therefore, the focus of concern for Norwegian epileptologists is not on this group of well-functioning patients; rather, it is on the more difficult cases, especially those with intractable epilepsy. This group of individuals has more significant problems and needs special diagnostic workups, care, and treatment. Fortunately, there are currently many ways of helping patients with multifaceted problems (see table). View this table: Table Modern diagnostic investigations for non-routine epilepsy care Although specialized care for patients with difficult and intractable epilepsies involves less than 50% of all patients with epilepsy, it is useful to focus first on this part of epilepsy care to see how care for all epilepsy patients has evolved during the past decades. Historical and current overview of care. Standards of care for patients with epilepsy in Norway in general have improved tremendously during the past 30 to 40 years. Medical services and resources have developed on all levels throughout the country. Norway is a long and narrow country, which is thinly populated with 4.4 million people (figure). Only since 1960 have specialists in neurology and pediatrics been available north of Trondheim. Until then, patients with epilepsy in the northern two-thirds of the country had no specialized services. In the 1950s, the nursing home for patients with chronic epilepsy in Sandvika was modernized and redesigned to provide services for both adults and children and was renamed The National Center for Epilepsy. The center is currently staffed with a multiprofessional team consisting of neurologists, pediatricians, psychologists, physiotherapists, social workers, nurses, and others. A school with specialized teachers is also an important contribution in the evaluation and treatment of children with intractable epilepsy. Figure. Norway is a long, narrow country …