Every year, people all over the world celebrate Purple Day on March 26 to increase awareness about epilepsy and show support for those living with it. The movement was started in 2008 by Cassidy Megan of Canada and was taken internationally in 2009 by the Anita Kauffman Foundation and Epilepsy Association of Nova Scotia. Now in its 11th year, Purple Day continues to educate others about epilepsy.
While epilepsy is not a disease, it afflicts people of all ages and currently has no cure outside of consistent medication. According to the Purple Day website, 50 million people worldwide live with epilepsy and, in half of the cases, the cause is unknown.
EvidenceCare’s Seizure Content
When writing our protocols, we wanted to be sure clinicians were able to take every aspect of a patient’s case into account when developing a treatment plan. As a result, certain protocols allow clinicians to indicate if a patient has a history of epilepsy and guides them through how this may affect treatment.
We were also excited to work with J. Stephen Huff, MD, associate professor of emergency medicine and neurology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine and known expert in the field, to develop our seizure protocol. In this protocol, users and patients can find resources from the Epilepsy Foundation and other credible sources. When working with a patient who experienced a seizure for the first time, easy-to-understand educational content is provided and allows a clinician to put the patient at ease. Because epilepsy is treated with medication in most cases, our protocols also guide users through determining the best medications to prescribe, the costs, and coupons available to patients.
We hope to one day have a cure for epilepsy, but for now, we want to continue making it as easy as possible for clinicians and patients alike to be aware of and treat it. To explore our seizure protocol and the rest of our evidence-based content, sign-up for our free tool here. To become a Purple Day ambassador, learn more about seizure triggers, host your own Purple Day events, and more, visit purpleday.org.
