EEG Infrastructure Within the Veterans Administration: A Survey.

Abstract

Purpose: EEG is a vital tool in the diagnosis and management of neurologic conditions prevalent among veterans such as seizures, epilepsy, and brain injuries. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the state of EEG infrastructure within the Veterans Administration (VA), focusing on availability, utilization, and the potential avenues to addressing gaps in infrastructure.

Methods: This survey was distributed to 123 VA hospitals using the Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) platform, gathering data on EEG equipment, staffing, and service provision from June to December 2023.

Results: Of the 123 VA hospitals surveyed, 70 responded (56.9% response rate). Most respondents (88.6%) reported having EEG services, although only 38.7% offering continuous EEG (cEEG). Respondents reported having less EEG technologists, machines, and faculty readers than what they thought would be ideal. Significant correlations were found between the availability of resources (e.g., number of EEG machines) and service capabilities, including remote access and cEEG. The use of alternative EEG technologies such as rapid or quantitative EEG varied greatly. Interest in participating in the VA Tele-EEG program was reported by 59.4% of respondents.

Conclusions: There is large variability in EEG infrastructure across the VA. Tele-EEG has the potential to maintain continuity of operations through challenges affecting staffing and to improve EEG service access, especially in resource-limited settings. Expanding access to quantitative, rapid, and tele-EEG services may enhance patient management and may be a potential avenue to explore as the VA continues to invest in and grow its capacity for treating neurologic conditions.