Epilepsy

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Unit 632

April 2026

Epilepsy

The purpose of this activity is to explore key aspects of epilepsy care in general practice (including first presentation and newly diagnosed epilepsy, epilepsy mimics such as psychogenic nonepileptic seizures, epilepsy in older adults and medication-refractory focal epilepsy) and to guide general practitioners in making timely, evidence-based decisions and navigating appropriate referral pathways.

Epilepsy is one of the most common serious neurological conditions managed in the community, and general practitioners play a central role in its early recognition, diagnosis and long-term care. General practitioners are usually the first clinicians to assess patients with possible new-onset epilepsy, and the quality of this initial assessment has significant implications for patient safety, patient quality of life and health system costs.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this activity, participants will be able to:
  • assess and investigate patients presenting with a first seizure in general practice and support patients through clear explanation, education and coordinated follow-up
  • recognise common seizure mimics and features that suggest epileptic versus non-epileptic events
  • identify and appropriately evaluate seizures in older adults, including those misdiagnosed as cerebrovascular events
  • apply contemporary seizure classification terminology to clinical scenarios
  • initiate and titrate antiseizure medications using evidence-based principles and identify medication-refractory epilepsy, referring patients early for specialist and surgical assessment.

Case studies

Below is a list of the case studies found in this month's unit of check. To see how these case studies unfold and gain valuable insights into this month's topic, log into gplearning to complete the course. 

Ryan, aged 24 years, is a carpenter who presents alone to your general practice 2 days after collapsing at a construction site. Ryan lives in a regional town approximately 4 hours’ drive from the nearest metropolitan tertiary epilepsy centre. The local general practitioner clinic is in his town, so travel is not required for primary care, but specialist review involves significant travel to the metropolitan centre.

Megan, aged 20 years, is a university student who presents to your general practice for a routine prescription renewal. She lives with her parents, has a steady partner and is currently studying full time.

David, aged 38 years, presents to your regional general practice alongside his wife after an unwitnessed fall from his bicycle. He sustained minor abrasions to his face and hands but did not attend hospital. He does not recall exactly how he came off the bike or the moments immediately beforehand.

Henry, a man aged 78 years, presents to your general practice following two brief episodes of sudden language disturbance and behavioural arrest. His wife describes him as suddenly stopping mid-conversation, appearing unable to speak or respond for 1 to 2 minutes, before gradually returning to baseline. Henry has no recollection of these episodes. He has not experienced loss of consciousness, shaking or collapse.

Lauren, aged 42 years, initially presents to your clinic complaining of intermittent visual disturbances. She describes episodes of visual distortion and blurring, occasionally accompanied by a sense of detachment. She has a history of migraines in her late teens and early 20s but has been largely migraine free since.

CPD

This unit of check is approved for 10 hours of CPD activity (2 hours per case). The 10 hours, when completed, including the online questions, comprise 5 hours’ Educational Activities and 5 hours’ Reviewing Performance.
Educational
Activities
5
hours
Measuring
Outcomes
0
hours
Reviewing
Performance
5
hours

Complete check online

To enroll in this check unit online: 

  1. Log into myCPD home page
  2. Select 'Browse' and search for 1459074
  3. Select the course and register

Please note: If you're not a member of the RACGP or don't have a check subscription, click here.

TOPICS

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