Abstract:
BACKGROUND: The absence of guidelines for the nursing management of individuals living with epilepsy, who are
students in Ghana, has resulted in the high dropout rates of such students. It is our hope, that in the near future, these
individuals living with epilepsy will receive the needed attention, experience less stigmatization and discrimination.
This, we expect, will result in better retention of such students in schools, improved academic performance and successful graduation. To achieve this, there is the need to develop appropriate guidelines and implement same for their
benefit. In line with this, the study aims to develop guidelines for nurses to manage individuals living with epilepsy
in Ghanaian schools.
METHODOLOGY: Qualitative approach will be adopted to conduct this study in two phases. In the first phase, a case
study design will be deployed in the Twifo Atti-Morkwa District of the Central Region of Ghana. The case is the nursing management of individuals living with epilepsy within the school context, and the sources of information will
be the general nurses, psychiatric, or community psychiatric nurses working at the schools. Within the context
of the case, parents or guardians of individuals living with epilepsy in the schools as well as their teachers will be
included in the study. Data will be collected through individual interviews for nurses and parents while focus group
discussions will be used for the teachers. Thematic analysis will be used to analyze the data. In the second phase,
guidelines will be developed using the modified e-Delphi Technique. The study will be piloted in the KomendaEdina-Eguafo-Abrem Municipality of the Central Region of Ghana. Ethics approval for this study has been obtained
from the Ethical Review Committee of the University of Pretoria in South Africa. Additionally, Administrative approvals
have been obtained from the Ghana Education Service.
DISCUSSION: The guidelines developed will form the basis for nursing management of individuals living with epilepsy
in Ghanaian schools. This will help to improve educational outcomes for the individuals living with epilepsy.
