The unpredictability of seizures causes distress to people with epilepsy and their caretakers. If seizures were predictable, the element of uncertainty would be reduced or eliminated. A child may be too young or impaired to identify their own experiences that present before the actual seizure; however a caretaker/parent may be able to. A well-designed tool for seizure prediction based on clinical signs and seizure triggers is needed. Our goal is to create an electronic diary (e-diary) program through the use of a downloadable app, developed by the joint efforts of us (the study investigators), the caretakers of children with epilepsy, and software developers, which centers on the caretaker’s experience. We expect this tool to be easy to use and capable of recording clinical signs and seizure triggers to reliably predict seizures clinically by the caretakers of children with epilepsy. This app will also expect caretakers to track seizure occurrence. The app will deliver twice daily morning and evening surveys and will also have an option for the caretaker to self-initiate a survey in response to a clinical symptom before a seizure or a seizure occurrence. Videotaping clinical symptoms or the seizure occurrence will also be an option. If we are able to demonstrate reliable seizure prediction in this population using this tool, it will lead to future interventional studies, in which a medication may be given during times of high seizure risk, to prevent a seizure from occurring. Successful prevention of seizures would reduce the health and economic burden of epilepsy, and improve quality of life, at least until treatments that cure epilepsy are developed.
