Introduction:

A sudden death in epilepsy (SUDEP) occurs every ten minutes worldwide. Also, 30% of epileptic patients who suffer from drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) fail to control their seizures, so the risk of SUDEP increases. Many epileptic patients are unaware of the risk factors for SUDEP and the ways to prevent it. Treatments to avoid SUDEP are still insufficient. Nursing research provide positive results in the management of the disease.

Objective:

To review the mortality status, self-management of epilepsy and nursing research to prevent SUDEP in adolescents and adults with DRE.

Material and Methods:

A systematic review and bibliographic search was carried out in the PubMed SciELO, SCOPUS, ELSEVIER, MEDES, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), INFOMED and Google Scholar databases. Selection criteria included studies on nursing research conducted in adolescents and adults during the last decade that have been published in Cuba and other countries of the world. Keywords in Spanish and English without language restrictions were used to carry out the search.

Development:

Crisis detection devices and online help programs stand out among the treatments to avoid SUDEP, but new options are still necessary. Among the risk factors for SUDEP, those related to sleep are highlighted. Other risk factors for SUDEP could be modified with educational programs. Despite the most appropriate ways of offering information about SUDEP are still debated, nursing educational programs have shown greater self-management, knowledge of the disease, and adherence to treatment.

Conclusions:

The Nurse is the ideal human potential to implement self-care actions in people with EFR. These actions aim to learn new skills for managing their disease and preventing SUDEP.

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