An international survey of long-term video/EEG services

To determine current practices in the provision of video-EEG services, the authors conducted an international survey by post. The aim of the survey was to evaluate, by reference to other centres, how and why:certain things are done, be assured that their own center is providing a quality service, identify weaknesses in their service, and from this, set improvement goals and objectives; A purposive sampling method was used by sending questionnaires to 78 hospitals where it was believed a long-term video-EEG monitoring service existed,,Completed survey questionnaires were returned from 42 centers. Although the survey mechanism may have resulted in self-selection bias, evaluation of the responses provides information on patient management, staffing levels, equipment, and equipment management. Ultimately, these data may aid in identifying a minimum set of requirements: for the provision of a video-EEG telemetry service.