ReviewHealth SA = SA Gesondheid2024
Management guidelines for pregnant women living with epilepsy: An integrative literature review.
Review in Health SA = SA Gesondheid, 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Evaluation of the management of high-risk obstetric patients living with epilepsy: A retrospective study from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.South African family practice : official journal of the South African Academy of Family Practice/Primary Care · 2026Article
- Is Vitamin B6 a Precision Therapy for Neonatal Seizures?Neurology international · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Epilepsy affects more than 50 million people worldwide, with a significant number of safety-related concerns arising in pregnant women. Precise management needs to include a vast array of stepwise protocols; however, no studies have been conducted to compare current South African guidelines to international norms. Aim: The aim of this integrative literature review was to identify discrepancies, if any, in the current protocols for treating pregnant women with epilepsy within the public sector of South Africa when measured against global standards. Method: An integrative literature review was conducted using the Whittemore and Knafl method. The following databases and search engines were used: PubMed, EBSCOhost, Science Direct, Medscape, African Journals Online, Cochrane Library, Google scholar, Google and MedlinePlus. The study included qualitative literature from all levels of evidence from 2006 to 2023. The data were evaluated using the PRISMA flow chart and analysed using the Cooper method. On completion of critical appraisal, 22 articles met the inclusion criteria and were analysed thematically. Results: The review identified several areas that can be enhanced to improve patient management and outcomes such as therapeutic drug monitoring and targeted dosing, folic acid supplementation, the use of antepartum vitamin K, high-resolution ultrasounds, elimination of sodium valproate in women of childbearing potential, monotherapy and endorsing frequent obstetrician visits. Conclusion: The study validated many differences between guidelines used in South Africa and internationally. Some of the prominent findings included areas focused on patient medication, screening, physician visits and pharmacovigilance. Contribution: The findings can be used to enhance and provide evidence-based recommendations in the areas that are not well developed within the current guidelines.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.