Epilepsy Blog Relay: Uncovering Widespread Work-Related Issues Associated With Epilepsy For Patients And Caregivers

A new, national survey of adult epilepsy patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals (HCPs) revealed a wide range of challenges in the management of epilepsy, which affects more than three million adults in the United States.¹ SK Life Science, Inc. engaged Kantar Health to develop the Seize the Truth about Epilepsy Perceptions (STEP) Survey, with a goal to gain insights into the unique challenges and unmet needs within the epilepsy community.²

Patients and caregivers are challenged by the public’s lack of awareness of epilepsy in multiple ways. Among the life challenges reported within the survey, one area that showed to have a substantial impact – for both epilepsy patients and their caregivers – is the workplace and employment-related issues. The survey revealed key insights relating to epilepsy and the workplace including:

• 36% of patients surveyed report not being able to focus at work because of their condition.
• 33% of patients listed job discrimination as one of the negative experiences caused by epilepsy.
• ~80% of patients and caregivers feel some form of isolation due to their epilepsy.
• HCPs, more so than patients or caregivers, believe patients with epilepsy experience significant shame and discrimination.

To learn more about workplace implications, read the full fact sheet below. It’s important to spread the word so that more can be done to help the epilepsy community. To learn more about the STEP survey and gain access to helpful resources, please visit www.WebMD.com/EpilepsySurvey.

[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Epilepsy Fast Facts. https://www.cdc.gov/epilepsy/about/fast-facts.htm. Accessed September 30, 2019.

[2] SK Life Science, Inc. and Kantar Health. “Seize the Truth about Epilepsy Perceptions (STEP) Survey.” February 7, 2019 to March 27, 2019.

Jessica K. Smith Founder and CEO; Executive Director

Jessica Keenan Smith is a patient advocate and epilepsy community leader with more than 15 years of experience. As Founder and CEO of Living Well With Epilepsy and Executive Director of ASENT she bridges the gap between the scientific and patient communities, with a particular focus on the needs of the epilepsies. Jessica Keenan Smith is Founder and CEO of Living Well With Epilepsy, an award winning online resource for people affected by epilepsy to share stories and access in-depth information on the disease. Since 2009, Living Well With Epilepsy (https://livingwellwithepilepsy.com) has been featured in Forbes, Wired, NBC, NPR and the cover story of Epilepsy Advocate Magazine and has partnered with companies such as UCB, Lundbeck, Sunovion, Eisai, and more. Ms. Smith is also the Executive Director of the American Society for Experimental Neurotherapeutics (ASENT) (https://asent.org), an organization that brings together leaders from industry, academia, government and advocacy who are engaged in bringing drugs and devices to market across all neurologic disease states. In this role she is responsible for leading a successful scientific journal and annual scientific conference with speakers from all over the world.

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Epilepsy