Identification of Problems Faced by Individuals with Epilepsy in Health Communication

Abstract

Objective: Individuals with epilepsy often face challenges with medication adherence and health monitoring because communication difficulties that hinder self-expression and information exchange, thereby complicating effective disease management. This study aimed to examine the health communication problems experienced by individuals with epilepsy. Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted among 172 individuals with epilepsy who presented to the neurology outpatient clinic in eastern and northern Türkiye between August 2023 and August 2024. Study data were collected using the descriptive data form and the health communication problems scale. The independent groups t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Tukey test were used to evaluate the data. Results: On the health communication problems scale, individuals with epilepsy had mean scores of 2.41 +/- 0.53 for the effective communication problems sub-dimension, 2.88 +/- 0.80 for the social communication problems sub-dimension, and 2.68 +/- 0.72 for the communication barriers sub-dimension. No significant differences were detected in the mean scores for health communication problems among individuals with epilepsy by sex, health expenditure, seizure type, or seizure characteristics (p>0.05). Conclusion: The study revealed that individuals with epilepsy experienced moderate difficulty with health communication. Those who were married, had higher educational attainment, were unemployed, had lower income levels, and were receiving polytherapy experienced greater communication challenges with healthcare professionals.