Srithanya Screening Test for Epilepsy: A Short Version

Abstract

Objective: To develop a short version of the Srithanya screening tests for epilepsy.

Methods: A prospective study was carried out from September to December 2011. The 10 item- version of the Srithanya screening test was applied to 206 subjects. Item reduction by 7 statistical methods were used. Optimal cut off point by receiving operating characteristic curve (ROC) was calculated to compare areas under curve (AUC) of short form and other versions.

Results: There were 55 epileptic patients and 151 control cases who completed the questionnaire. The short version of 5 items (1, 2, 6, 8 and 10) were selected with these methods and experts’ opinions. There were 1) loss of consciousness, during attack, 2) can’t remember an event, 3) tongue bite, 4) confused after the attack and 5) told by other person about having epilepsy. The internal consistency was highly acceptable. The optimal cut off-score at 2 had sensitivity and specificity at 92.7 and 90.7% respectively.

Conclusion: The short version of the Srithanya screening test for epilepsy consisted of 5 items could detect people with both types of generalized seizure and complex partial seizure in a hospital setting.