ArticleNeurology. Clinical practice2024
Qualitative Analysis of Decision to Pursue Electrical Brain Stimulation by Patients With Drug-Resistant Epilepsy and Their Caregivers.
Article in Neurology. Clinical practice, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- A guide to neuromodulation in drug-resistant epilepsy.Epileptic disorders : international epilepsy journal with videotape · 2026Review
- Clinician, patient, and carer views on neuromodulation for epilepsy: is there rationale for a randomised controlled trial of VNS vs. DBS?Brain & spine · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background and Objectives: To understand why patients with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) pursue invasive electrical brain stimulation (EBS). Methods: We interviewed patients with DRE (n = 20) and their caregivers about their experiences in pursuing EBS approximately 1 year post device implant. Inductive analysis was applied to identify key motivating factors. Results: The cohort included participants aged from teens to 50s with deep brain stimulation, vagus nerve stimulation, responsive neurostimulation, and chronic subthreshold cortical stimulation. Patients' motivations included (1) improved quality of life (2) intolerability of antiseizure medications, (3) desperation, and (4) patient-family dynamics. Both patients and caregivers described a desire to alleviate burdens of the other. Patient apprehensions about EBS focused on invasiveness and the presence of electrodes in the brain. Previous experiences with invasive monitoring and the ability to see hardware in person during clinical visits influenced patients' comfort in proceeding with EBS. Despite realistic expectations for modest and delayed benefits, patients held out hope for an exceptionally positive outcome. Discussion: Our findings describe the motivations and decision-making process for patients with DRE who pursue invasive EBS. Patients balance feelings of desperation, personal goals, frustration with medication side effects, fears about surgery, and potential pressure from concerned caregivers. These factors together with the sense that patients have exhausted therapeutic alternatives may explain the limited decisional ambivalence observed in this cohort. These themes highlight opportunities for epilepsy care teams to support patient decision-making processes.
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Registered trials
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