Epilepsy Research (2015) 113, 11—18 jo ur nal ho me p ag e: www.elsevier.com/locate/epilepsyres Epilepsy services in Ireland: ‘A survey of people with epilepsy in relation to satisfaction, preferences and information provision’ Louise Bennett a,* , Michael Bergin b , Martina Gooney b , Colin P. Doherty c , Cara Synnott c , John S.G. Wells d a Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Cork Road, Waterford Institute of Technology, Waterford, Ireland b Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Cork Road, Waterford Institute of Technology, Ireland c St. James’s Hospital, Dublin, Ireland d School of Health Sciences, Waterford Institute of Technology, Cork Road, Waterford, Ireland Received 3 December 2014; received in revised form 1 March 2015; accepted 12 March 2015 Available online 20 March 2015 KEYWORDS Epilepsy services; Satisfaction; Preferences; Information provision; Ireland Summary Background: A challenge facing modern health care systems is to develop and implement new models of service that deliver increased capacity while providing a higher-quality, more cost- effective service within resource constraints. Incorporating the experience of people with epilepsy must be seen as central to the effectiveness of service design and delivery. This paper, therefore, reports the views of people with epilepsy with regards to health service delivery in Ireland. Method: A cross-sectional descriptive survey design involving both quantitative and qualitative items was administered to a convenience sample of one hundred and two people with epilepsy (n = 102) attending an epilepsy specialist centre. Results: Despite high levels of satisfaction with hospital and primary care, participants offered several suggestions to improve healthcare delivery, such as: less delay in accessing special- ist care and hospital appointments; better communication; and easier access to investigatory services. Findings demonstrate that for people with epilepsy the burden of the disorder is substantial and complex encompassing social, psychological and structural difficulties. Poor information provision particularly among women is reported. Furthermore, a lack of empower- ment in people with epilepsy is highlighted. ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +353 051 845558. E-mail addresses: lbennett@wit.ie (L. Bennett), mbergin@wit.ie (M. Bergin), mgooney@wit.ie (M. Gooney), cpdoherty@stjames.ie (C.P. Doherty), cara-synnott@hotmail.com (C. Synnott), jswells@wit.ie (J.S.G. Wells). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2015.03.006 0920-1211/© 2015 Published by Elsevier B.V.