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OBJECTIVE: To characterize the experience of people with epilepsy and aligned healthcare workers (HCWs) during the first 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic and compare experiences in high-income countries (HICs) with non-HICs. METHODS: Separate surveys for people with epilepsy and HCWs were distributed online in April 2020. Responses were collected to September 2021. Data were collected for COVID-19 infections, the effect of COVID-related restrictions, access to specialist help for epilepsy (people with epilepsy), and the impact of the pandemic on work productivity (HCWs). The frequency of responses for non-HICs and HICs were compared using non-parametric Chi-square tests. RESULTS: Two thousand one hundred and  five individuals with epilepsy from 53 countries and 392 HCWs from 26 countries provided data. The same proportion of people with epilepsy in non-HICs and HICs reported COVID-19 infection (7%). Those in HICs were more likely to report that COVID-19 measures had affected their health (32% vs. 23%; p 

Original publication

DOI

10.1002/epi4.13035

Type

Journal article

Journal

Epilepsia Open

Publication Date

10/2024

Volume

9

Pages

1931 - 1947

Keywords

access to healthcare, mental health, pandemic response, seizure, telemedicine, Humans, COVID-19, Epilepsy, Female, Male, Adult, Middle Aged, Health Personnel, Surveys and Questionnaires, Young Adult, Developed Countries, SARS-CoV-2, Health Services Accessibility, Global Health, Adolescent