Improving access to epilepsy management: a survey on acceptance and needs of intelligent medical assistants in rural Northwest China_Journal of Epilepsy

Authors：

QIAO Xiaozhi , SHI Xiaojing , WANG Yuanyuan , MA Lei , LI Hui ,  JIANG Wen

Department of Neurology, Xijing Hospital of Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710032, China;

Corresponding?author：

JIANG Wen, Email: drjiangwen@hotmail.com

Keywords：

Rural areas; Epilepsy; Intelligent medical assistant; Needs assessment; Primary healthcare

DOI：

10.7507/2096-0247.202601008

Video：

Export PDF Favorites Scan Get Citation

Abstract Full text Figures/Tables Video References Cited by

Objective To investigate the current status and needs of epilepsy management among patients and primary healthcare workers in rural Northwest China, providing data support for the development of an intelligent medical assistant tailored for rural epilepsy care. Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted from March 22 to April 22, 2025, targeting patients (or their caregivers) and healthcare workers in eight regions of the Shaanxi Rural Epilepsy Prevention and Management Project. The patient/caregiver questionnaire covered basic information, disease-related information, and functional needs; the healthcare worker questionnaire included basic information, job responsibilities, and functional suggestions. Questionnaires were distributed via the Wenjuanxing platform. Python was used for descriptive statistics and correlation analysis. Results A total of 1 154 valid patient/caregiver questionnaires (response rate 59.45%) and 337 valid healthcare worker questionnaires (response rate 100%) were collected. The main difficulties reported by patients/caregivers were psychological stress (58.75%), financial burden (47.05%), and lack of disease knowledge (38.82%). 87.09% of respondents expressed willingness to use an intelligent assistant, with the highest demand for psychological support (56.33%), medication reminders (52.51%), and condition monitoring (45.06%). The primary difficulties reported by healthcare workers were poor patient adherence (75.96%), insufficient professional training (62.62%), and ineffective communication (55.79%). 87.83% of healthcare workers were willing to use an intelligent assistant and expected it to feature patient information management (92.58%), remote follow-up (77.15%), and condition monitoring (74.48%) to improve work efficiency. Conclusion Patients and healthcare workers in rural Northwest China show high acceptance and clear demand for an intelligent medical assistant for epilepsy. Future development should prioritize core modules such as medication management, health education, and psychological support, adopting a minimalist design to enhance the accessibility and effectiveness of long-term epilepsy management.

Citation： QIAO Xiaozhi, SHI Xiaojing, WANG Yuanyuan, MA Lei, LI Hui, JIANG Wen. Improving access to epilepsy management: a survey on acceptance and needs of intelligent medical assistants in rural Northwest China. Journal of Epilepsy, 2026, 12(2): 122-127. doi: 10.7507/2096-0247.202601008 Copy

1.	Wang WZ, Wu JZ, Wang DS, et al. The prevalence and treatment gap in epilepsy in China: an ILAE/IBE/WHO study. Neurology, 2003, 60(9): 1544-1545.
2.	Liu W, Xu Y, Lin Y, et al. Burden of epilepsy in China and its provinces, 1990 to 2019: Findings from the global burden of disease study 2019. Chinese Medical Journal, 2023, 136(3): 305-312.
3.	Chen Z, Brodie MJ, Liew D, et al. Treatment outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy treated with established and new antiepileptic drugs: a 30-year longitudinal cohort study. JAMA Neurology, 2018, 75(3): 279-286.
4.	Meyer AC, Dua T, Ma J, et al. Global disparities in the epilepsy treatment gap: a systematic review. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 2010, 88(4): 260-266.
5.	Trinka E, Kwan P, Lee B, et al. Epilepsy in asia: disease burden, management barriers, and challenges. Epilepsia, 2019, 60(Suppl 1): 7–21.
6.	Braga P, Hosny H, Kakooza-Mwesige A, et al. How to understand and address the cultural aspects and consequences of diagnosis of epilepsy, including stigma. Epileptic Disorders, 2020, 22(5): 531-547.
7.	Sander JW. Overview of the demonstration projects. Epilepsia, 2002, 43(s6): 34-36.
8.	王曉瑋, 茹小娟, 王文志. 我國農村地區癲癇治療管理模式探索及其效果評估. 中華神經科雜志, 2016, 49(5): 358-363.
9.	王文志, 吳建中, 戴秀英, 等. 應用苯巴比妥治療中國農村地區2 455例癲癎患者效果評估. 中華醫學雜志, 2006(19): 1297-1300.
10.	Wang W, Wu J, Li S, et al. Sodium valproate for epilepsy in rural china: an efficacy and safety assessment in primary care. Epilepsy Research, 2012, 102(3): 201-205.
11.	Guan X, Wang Y, Wang X, et al. Factors influencing seizure control of patients with convulsive epilepsy in rural areas of northwest china. Epilepsia Open, 2025, 10(4): 1208-1216.
12.	關肖, 王圓圓, 王萱, 等. 陜西省不同來源癲癇患者服用抗發作藥物的治療效果及藥物經濟學評價. 癲癇與神經電生理學雜志, 2023, 32(3): 140-145.
13.	Zhang X, Wang S, Zhou X, et al. A Village doctor-led mobile health intervention for cardiovascular risk reduction in rural China: cluster randomised controlled trial. BMJ (Clinical Research Ed. ), 2025, 389: e082765.
14.	劉環, 朱世飛, 陳法余, 等. 人工智能在基層全科醫生實踐中的應用: 基于皮膚病診斷與病程管理的視角. 中國全科醫學, 2024, 27(31): 3884-3889.
15.	關肖, 王萱, 王小木, 等. 1242例農村癲癇患者的心理狀況調查與分析. 空軍軍醫大學學報, 2025, 46(03): 357-361.
16.	Gandy M, Michaelis R, Acraman J, et al. Integrated psychological care services within seizure settings: key components and implementation factors among example services in four ILAE regions: a report by the ILAE psychiatry commission. Epilepsia, 2023, 64(7): 1766-1784.
17.	Narducci F, Lippa G, Baker G, et al. Epilepsy and employment in Europe: a systematic review of literature. European Journal of Neurology, 2025, 32(4): e70129.
18.	Han SH, Park SM, Yum S, et al. Job loss and reemployment of newly diagnosed people with epilepsy: a nationwide cohort study. Epilepsia, 2025, 66(4): 1210-1222.
19.	癲癇: 公共衛生當務之急. 摘要: 世界衛生組織; 2019(WHO/MSD/MER/19.2). 許可協議: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
20.	龔桂平, 屠厚冕, 計海霞, 等. 成人癲癇患者疾病感知特點及其對生活質量的影響. 中華行為醫學與腦科學雜志, 2020, 29(6): 540-545.
21.	Li J, Si Y, Hu J, et al. Enhancing medical compliance of patients with convulsive epilepsy in rural community: a randomized intervention trial. Epilepsia, 2013, 54(11): 1988-1996.
22.	安麗巧, 陳玉科, 李東明, 等. 多學科協作干預對癲癇青少年過渡期準備水平的影響. 中國護理管理, 2025, 25(2): 277-282.
23.	Li S, Wang Y, Wang W, et al. The national comprehensive governance for epilepsy prevention and control in China. Epilepsia Open, 2022, 7(1): 27-35.
24.	王婷, 趙明潔, 張永貴, 等. 癲癇患者診斷與藥物選擇工具EpiPick的驗證研究. 中華神經科雜志, 2024, 57(5): 488-496.
25.	Zhang B, Chen WV, Regalia G, et al. Statistical characteristics of large-scale objective tonic-clonic seizure records from medical smartwatches used in daily life. Epilepsia, 2024, 65(11): 3255-3264.
26.	Gotlieb E, Marzoughi S, Kwon CS, et al. Clinical effectiveness, feasibility, acceptability, and usability of mobile health applications for epilepsy: a systematic review. Epilepsia, 2025, 66(5): 1349-1373.

1. Wang WZ, Wu JZ, Wang DS, et al. The prevalence and treatment gap in epilepsy in China: an ILAE/IBE/WHO study. Neurology, 2003, 60(9): 1544-1545.
2. Liu W, Xu Y, Lin Y, et al. Burden of epilepsy in China and its provinces, 1990 to 2019: Findings from the global burden of disease study 2019. Chinese Medical Journal, 2023, 136(3): 305-312.
3. Chen Z, Brodie MJ, Liew D, et al. Treatment outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy treated with established and new antiepileptic drugs: a 30-year longitudinal cohort study. JAMA Neurology, 2018, 75(3): 279-286.
4. Meyer AC, Dua T, Ma J, et al. Global disparities in the epilepsy treatment gap: a systematic review. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 2010, 88(4): 260-266.
5. Trinka E, Kwan P, Lee B, et al. Epilepsy in asia: disease burden, management barriers, and challenges. Epilepsia, 2019, 60(Suppl 1): 7–21.
6. Braga P, Hosny H, Kakooza-Mwesige A, et al. How to understand and address the cultural aspects and consequences of diagnosis of epilepsy, including stigma. Epileptic Disorders, 2020, 22(5): 531-547.
7. Sander JW. Overview of the demonstration projects. Epilepsia, 2002, 43(s6): 34-36.
8. 王曉瑋, 茹小娟, 王文志. 我國農村地區癲癇治療管理模式探索及其效果評估. 中華神經科雜志, 2016, 49(5): 358-363.
9. 王文志, 吳建中, 戴秀英, 等. 應用苯巴比妥治療中國農村地區2 455例癲癎患者效果評估. 中華醫學雜志, 2006(19): 1297-1300.
10. Wang W, Wu J, Li S, et al. Sodium valproate for epilepsy in rural china: an efficacy and safety assessment in primary care. Epilepsy Research, 2012, 102(3): 201-205.
11. Guan X, Wang Y, Wang X, et al. Factors influencing seizure control of patients with convulsive epilepsy in rural areas of northwest china. Epilepsia Open, 2025, 10(4): 1208-1216.
12. 關肖, 王圓圓, 王萱, 等. 陜西省不同來源癲癇患者服用抗發作藥物的治療效果及藥物經濟學評價. 癲癇與神經電生理學雜志, 2023, 32(3): 140-145.
13. Zhang X, Wang S, Zhou X, et al. A Village doctor-led mobile health intervention for cardiovascular risk reduction in rural China: cluster randomised controlled trial. BMJ (Clinical Research Ed. ), 2025, 389: e082765.
14. 劉環, 朱世飛, 陳法余, 等. 人工智能在基層全科醫生實踐中的應用: 基于皮膚病診斷與病程管理的視角. 中國全科醫學, 2024, 27(31): 3884-3889.
15. 關肖, 王萱, 王小木, 等. 1242例農村癲癇患者的心理狀況調查與分析. 空軍軍醫大學學報, 2025, 46(03): 357-361.
16. Gandy M, Michaelis R, Acraman J, et al. Integrated psychological care services within seizure settings: key components and implementation factors among example services in four ILAE regions: a report by the ILAE psychiatry commission. Epilepsia, 2023, 64(7): 1766-1784.
17. Narducci F, Lippa G, Baker G, et al. Epilepsy and employment in Europe: a systematic review of literature. European Journal of Neurology, 2025, 32(4): e70129.
18. Han SH, Park SM, Yum S, et al. Job loss and reemployment of newly diagnosed people with epilepsy: a nationwide cohort study. Epilepsia, 2025, 66(4): 1210-1222.
19. 癲癇: 公共衛生當務之急. 摘要: 世界衛生組織; 2019(WHO/MSD/MER/19.2). 許可協議: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
20. 龔桂平, 屠厚冕, 計海霞, 等. 成人癲癇患者疾病感知特點及其對生活質量的影響. 中華行為醫學與腦科學雜志, 2020, 29(6): 540-545.
21. Li J, Si Y, Hu J, et al. Enhancing medical compliance of patients with convulsive epilepsy in rural community: a randomized intervention trial. Epilepsia, 2013, 54(11): 1988-1996.
22. 安麗巧, 陳玉科, 李東明, 等. 多學科協作干預對癲癇青少年過渡期準備水平的影響. 中國護理管理, 2025, 25(2): 277-282.
23. Li S, Wang Y, Wang W, et al. The national comprehensive governance for epilepsy prevention and control in China. Epilepsia Open, 2022, 7(1): 27-35.
24. 王婷, 趙明潔, 張永貴, 等. 癲癇患者診斷與藥物選擇工具EpiPick的驗證研究. 中華神經科雜志, 2024, 57(5): 488-496.
25. Zhang B, Chen WV, Regalia G, et al. Statistical characteristics of large-scale objective tonic-clonic seizure records from medical smartwatches used in daily life. Epilepsia, 2024, 65(11): 3255-3264.
26. Gotlieb E, Marzoughi S, Kwon CS, et al. Clinical effectiveness, feasibility, acceptability, and usability of mobile health applications for epilepsy: a systematic review. Epilepsia, 2025, 66(5): 1349-1373.

Journal of Epilepsy

Improving access to epilepsy management: a survey on acceptance and needs of intelligent medical assistants in rural Northwest China

Abstract Full text Figures/Tables Video References Cited by

Previous Article

Next Article

Format

Content