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J Neurosci Nurs. 2014 Feb;46(1):2-10. doi: 10.1097/JNN.0000000000000032.
The incidence of new-onset epilepsy is highest in older adults. Research has revealed that epilepsy diagnosis in older adults is difficult and often delayed. However, in-depth qualitative inquiry is needed to more richly describe older adults' experiences with being diagnosed with epilepsy to reveal the context in which these delays occur and the effects on older adults.
A qualitative descriptive approach was used to describe the diagnosis experiences of 20 older adults with new-onset epilepsy. Semistructured interviews were used to generate data. All data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed via conventional content analysis.
A delayed diagnosis of epilepsy was pervasive in the sample, and participants attributed delays to both their actions and their care providers' actions. Women experienced delays more often than men. Experiences of those whose diagnoses were not delayed are also discussed. Research using larger and more diverse samples is needed to investigate the scope of diagnosis delays in this population as well as to design interventions to improve the diagnosis process for older adults with new-onset epilepsy.
新发性癫痫的发病率在老年人中最高。研究表明，老年人癫痫的诊断较为困难，且常常延误诊断。然而，需要深入的定性研究来更丰富地描述老年人癫痫诊断的经历，以揭示这些延迟发生的背景以及对老年人的影响。
采用定性描述方法描述了 20 名新发性癫痫老年人的诊断经历。使用半结构化访谈来收集数据。所有数据都逐字转录，并通过常规内容分析进行分析。
在研究样本中，癫痫的延迟诊断普遍存在，参与者将延迟归因于他们自己的行为和他们的医疗保健提供者的行为。女性比男性更常经历延迟。还讨论了那些诊断没有延迟的人的经历。需要使用更大、更多样化的样本进行研究，以调查该人群中诊断延迟的范围，并设计干预措施来改善新发性癫痫老年人的诊断过程。
