Connaissances, attitudes et pratiques du médecin généraliste d'Eure-et-Loir face au patient épileptique : étude qualitative à partir de 11 entretiens semi-dirigés

Studies on how general practitioners follow epileptic patients are few and far between. This is surprising, since for these patients, the general practitioner is the first person to be consulted in the context of the current standardised treatment pathway. Our goal was to describe and analyze general practitioners' knowledge, attitudes and habits concerning medical, psychological and social care of epileptic patients. We applied a qualitative method using semi-structured interviews with 11 general practitioners in the Eure-et-Loir, an administrative district in France. The interviews were recorded, with full transcripts being written and analyzed by themes. The results revealed great variability in care practices and in the perception general practitioners have of epilepsy. They report not knowing enough about the illness. They perceive clearly the anxiety of patients and their families, but exert little medical, psychiatric or social impact on patients. Treatment of the disease is at the core of the general practitioner's relationship with the patient. If attitudes towards epilepsy are to be changed, relevant knowledge and correct practices remain to be implemented. Demand for training is currently centred on treatment but it would be helpful to introduce inter-disciplinary training on standardisation of practices and more detailed correspondence with neurologists.