International Paediatric Epilepsy Training

At the British Paediatric Neurology Association (BPNA), we are passionate about promoting the health and wellbeing of children with neurological conditions on a global scale. A membership organisation for paediatric neurologists and allied health professionals since the 1970’s, we have a global network of expert members who are committed to creating change not only through their own medical practice, but also to supporting closing the gap in epilepsy care around the world. This means we are uniquely placed to ensure that the lives of children with neurological disorders are not governed by their conditions, wherever they live in the world.

Making friends. Going to school. Growing up to have a family of their own. These are normal events in many children’s lives. For the 10 million children around the world living with epilepsy, however, life can be very different. This is especially true for the 8 million of them who live in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where stigma is common and premature death is more likely than in high-income countries.   Some children with epilepsy experience seizures once or twice a year. Others have them as many as 30 times per day. These seizures can be incredibly traumatic, with children often waking up with no memory of what has happened, surrounded by people, or worse, alone. Seizures can result in falls, meaning that concussion, broken bones, bruises and, in countries where open fires are used for cooking, burns are common. The fear and uncertainty associated with seizures may cause anxiety and depression, adding to the health conditions that shape their everyday lives. In some LMICs, having epilepsy can be particularly lonely. People with epilepsy are often thought to be ‘mad’, bewitched or even possessed, meaning that parents will not allow their children to play with them. Many schools expel children with epilepsy and suddenly, with this lack of education, a disorder that is often limited to childhood becomes a force that shapes an entire life.

Our unique Paediatric Epilepsy Training (PET) programme addresses this urgent need by training neurologists, paediatricians and other healthcare workers to recognise and treat epilepsy. Developed using the collective expertise of UK paediatric neurologists, it led to significant improvements in care for children with epilepsy in the UK. It has become the ‘gold standard’ in UK providing training on safe, standard care to paediatricians. Largely in response to demand from LMICs, the PET courses began to run in an increasing number of countries and particularly so in sub-Saharan Africa. Now, PET is run in partnership with and endorsed by The International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE). The ILAE identified PET as an effective, sustainable format to teach safe standard epilepsy practice to clinicians across all levels of healthcare. PET aligns with the “Intersectoral Global Action Plan on Epilepsy and Other Neurological Disorders (IGAP)​”, approved by the World Health Assembly in May 2022. Its profile and position in training was recognised in the follow-up Technical Brief published by WHO at the end of 2022. Our PET1 course has been developed for all health professionals providing primary or secondary level care for children with paroxysmal episodes. By the end of the 1-day course, the learning outcomes for our attendees are to:

- Define: ‘seizure’, ‘epilepsy’, and ‘epilepsy syndrome’ and be able to provide a simple classification of epilepsy.
- Describe the different seizure types e.g. absence, myoclonic, tonic clonic, tonic, atonic, focal motor and focal sensory.
- Give differential diagnosis for seizures, and how to distinguish epilepsy from syncopes (simple faints, reflex anoxic seizure, breath holding) and inattention (day-dreaming, pre-occupation).
- Manage the first seizure event. Managing life-threatening prolonged seizures
- Appreciate the contribution made by EEG and neuro-imaging.
- Describe the principles of treatment, the indication for anti-seizure medicines and the common side effects of these drugs.
- Consider the holistic care of a child with epilepsy and offer practical advice for parents and children with epilepsy.

Taught through lectures and small group workshop sessions, each attendee is given the opportunity and encouraged to contribute and learn from their peers as well as the experienced faculty delivering the course.