Patient Experiences of Cog Prehab on the Epilepsy Surgery pathway

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Patient Experiences of Cognitive Prehabilitation on the Epilepsy Surgery Pathway

  • IRAS ID

    352783

  • Contact name

    Jonathan Evans

  • Contact email

    jonathan.evans@glasgow.ac.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    University of Glasgow

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    1 years, 2 months, 31 days

  • Research summary

    Some people whose epilepsy has not responded sufficiently to medication may choose to have surgery, if medical opinion suggests this may be effective in improving their seizures. However, surgery can affect thinking skills such as memory and language. By implementing 'prehabilitation' before these changes from epilepsy surgery occur, patients may be better able to learn thinking strategies before the changes in their thinking occur due to surgery. There are still many questions to answer regarding how to implement prehabilitation. This study aims to explore patient experiences through interviews to understand their lived experience after completing prehabilitation on the epilepsy surgery pathway. Patients will be given an information sheet about the study and asked if they would like to take part in a semi-structured interview. This interview will involve them answering questions about their experience of completing a prehabilitation program in preparation for their epilepsy surgery. Interviews will take place in an NHS clinic on-site or using virtual video calling. People with epilepsy may experience difficulties in thinking; the researcher will aim to make interviews as accessible as possible by discussing reasonable adjustments that could be made through the interview process. The researcher will ensure participants can understand and retain information about the study before proceeding with the consent process. Participants' involvement in the research will also be recorded in their medical record. The results of this research may help to continue to develop prehabilitation programmes for epilepsy. Data may help clinicians to determine the right time to implement the prehabilitation programme on the epilepsy surgery programme and get a better understanding of patient experiences and challenges on the programme and its impact while on the surgery pathway. This study will begin following ethical approval and will conclude in July 2026.

  • REC name

    Wales REC 4

  • REC reference

    25/WA/0171

  • Date of REC Opinion

    23 Jul 2025

  • REC opinion

    Further Information Favourable Opinion