Aisha Khan
Research Mentor: Samuel Terman
Mentor Department: Neurology, Medicine
Author(s): Not Available
Session: Session 6 (3:00 PM – 3:50 PM)
Presentation Type: Poster 1
Abstract
Understanding how patients weigh treatment benefits and medication side effects is essential for improving shared decision-making in epilepsy care. Antiseizure medications can reduce seizure frequency but may also produce side effects that affect daily functioning and overall quality of life. Despite the importance of these tradeoffs, few tools exist to systematically measure how patients prioritize treatment outcomes. This study aims to evaluate the reliability and preliminary validity of a patient preference scale designed to assess how individuals with epilepsy balance treatment , medication side effects, and quality of life. Participants were identified from a prior survey database maintained through the Department of Neurology at the University of Michigan. Eligible participants previously completed surveys assessing treatment preferences related to antiseizure medications. A follow-up survey was administered to determine whether participant responses remained consistent over time. Survey responses were collected using Qualtrics and exported for analysis. The primary analysis focuses on intrarater reliability, which evaluates whether individuals provide stable responses when assessing the same constructs at different time points. Reliability will be evaluated using correlation coefficients, including Pearson correlations for linear relationships and Spearman correlations for non-linear relationships. Statistical analyses will be conducted using either Stata or R. At this time, data collection is ongoing, with 124 eligible participants identified for follow-up. If validated, this scale may support future research and patient-centered epilepsy care by providing a structured method to measure how patients prioritize seizure control, medication side effects, and quality of life in treatment decisions.
