Clinical case learningArticleHealthcare professionalsNational

The question behind a complex epilepsy referral

A high-value referral identifies the clinical question, shares the key data and keeps patient-specific information in the official clinical channel.

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A complete evaluation is not a fixed set of tests. The value of a referral comes from making the clinical question clear: persistent seizures after medication failure, diagnostic uncertainty, discordant findings, a lesion or a safety concern.

The epilepsy team can then decide what information would change management. For clinical conferences and educational case discussion, always use non-identifying information. Send records and protected health information only through the receiving institution’s approved referral process.