Wednesday, 17 October 2012
Christine Hanson, ABMU Clinical Nurse Specialist, is celebrating winning an Achievement in the Care of Epilepsy Award, thanks to her newly developed screening tool.
The awards are given by the Epilepsy Specialist Nurse Association. They recognise specialist nurses across the UK who undertake research to develop and improve patient care. Working in the ABMU specialist epilepsy and learning disability service, Christine (pictured) provides treatment and support to local people with learning disabilities and epilepsy across south, east and west Wales.
She was presented with the £300 first prize for her work researching and developing a screening tool which identifies rare forms of epilepsy.
It assesses the type of a patient’s seizures, their age, and other symptoms they experience, to identify the form of epilepsy they have. It helps identify rare epilepsy syndromes in clinical settings, so the most appropriate medication and therapy is prescribed and the seizures appropriately managed.
Christine said:
“Winning this award was so unexpected as nurses working in all areas of epilepsy services across the UK and Northern Ireland entered the competition. I feel very honoured and pleased that all the hard work carried out for my research has been recognised.
“Thanks to my research, I now have an increased knowledge of rare forms of epilepsy syndromes. Identifying these has always proved to be a challenge. The screening tool is a key development in patient care, improving their experience and outcomes.”
