Treatment seeking behavior of people with epilepsy at the university teacing hospital and Chainama hills hospital

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent, unprovoked seizures. It is the most common neurological disorder in Sub-Saharan Africa. It has been found that people in developing countries have low levels of access to quality healthcare and appropriate medication. Moreover, these people may seek several kinds of alternative treatments before using conventional medication. Zambia however does not have much information on the health seeking behavior of people with epilepsy. In a condition such as epilepsy, early presentation to a health center plays a vital role in the long term outcome of the condition. However, this research postulates that many people with epilepsy may for months or years use alternative treatment methods before going to a health center. Therefore, it is important to understand the extent of these beliefs and to investigate whether some of these people actually perceive a benefit from alternative treatment which may justify their delayed pursuit for conventional health care. It is also important to know the several types of medication a PWE may be taking that may affect the action of the prescribed drugs on the behavior of PWE bearing in mind that anti–epileptic drugs are associated with several drug interactions and toxicities.