Professor Ingrid Scheffer
Professor Ingrid Scheffer AO, Chair of Paediatric Neurology Research, University of Melbourne
SUDEP is the most devastating complication of epilepsy where families lose a loved one with epilepsy out of the blue. Usually, the patient passes away unexpectedly overnight. We know that better seizure control reduces the risk of SUDEP, so we need to strive to improve seizure control and not accept ongoing seizures because of the serious risk that SUDEP poses.”
Professor Terry O’Brien
Chair of Medicine (Neurology) & Head, Central Clinical School, Monash University & Program Director, Alfred Brain, Director of Neurology & Deputy Director of Research, Alfred Health.
Safety for people living with epilepsy should be of paramount importance to medical and health professionals. There is a higher than necessary incidence of injury and death secondary to seizures and epilepsy. I encourage all treating practitioners to have a discussion about risk with patients. The SUDEP and Seizure Safety Checklist is a tool that can help guide this potentially lifesaving discussion.”
Healthcare Professionals
Please register below to gain access to the SUDEP and Seizure Safety Checklists.
About the Checklists
The SUDEP and Seizure Safety Checklists were developed in the UK by SUDEP Action. Partnership between Epilepsy Action Australia and SUDEP Action has enabled these Checklists to be modified for the Australian context and made available in Australia.
These are the first resources of their kind in Australia to guide a risk discussion between a person living with epilepsy and their health care professional.
There are two versions of the Checklist:
- Adult (from 16 years of age)
- Paediatric
Both tools are designed to encourage open conversations about individual risk factors so that personalised plans can be put in place to reduce those risks.
NOTE: for the best user experience and full interactivity, download the checklist and view in Adobe Acrobat
The Checklists are quick, free, evidence based and easy to use.
For people living with epilepsy and their families. The Checklists can provide peace of mind by improving awareness and supporting seizure risk management.
Please watch the short film below to learn more about seizure related risks and the SUDEP and Seizure Safety Checklist. Scroll down below the film to access both the Adult and Paediatric Checklists.
SUDEP and Seizure Safety
*NOTE: While this video states SUDEP affects 1 in 4500 children with epilepsy, recent research has found it affects 1 in 1000 people with epilepsy regardless of age.
The SUDEP and Seizure Safety Checklist Project, developed in the UK is a collaboration between SUDEP Action & Cornwall partnership NHS Foundation Trust. Funding from UCB and Collier Charitable Fund has enabled Epilepsy Action Australia to work in collaboration with SUDEP Action to make the Checklists available in Australia.
