Infantile epileptic spasms syndrome (IESS), often called infantile spasms, is the most common form of epilepsy seen during infancy. Prompt diagnosis and referral to a neurologist are essential. But research suggests infants are likely to experience delays in referral to a neurologist if their families are from historically marginalized racial/ethnic backgrounds. A new open-access training module for front-line providers from OPENPediatrics, an online learning community launched by Boston Children's Hospital, aims to change that.
The free, publicly accessible Infantile Spasms curriculum includes short lectures and videos illustrating infantile spasms to help primary care providers identify IESS and ensure prompt treatment. Through self-assessments at the end of each chapter, clinicians can test their diagnostic skills and hone their instincts.
A national study in 2022 found that Black children and children with public insurance are less likely to receive a standard treatment course for infantile epileptic spasms as compared with white children and children with private insurance.
That prompted Boston Children's neurology fellow Christina Briscoe Abath, MD, and her mentor Chellamani Harini, MD, to take a closer look at care for infantile spasms at Boston Children's, which took part in the national study.
"We needed to know if children at our center were getting the appropriate treatment for IESS based on their race or ethnicity, so we could promptly address it if so," Briscoe Abath says.
The study, published in the journal Epilepsia
