Recognizing seizures in the intensive care unit

Seizure Semiology Identification and Agreement in the Intensive Care Setting: How do Clinical Scientists Compare to Other Healthcare Professionals (Intensivists, Neurologists, ITU Nurses and Neurophysiologists) in Identifying and Interpreting Clinical Signs in Patients on the Adult Intensive Care Unit

Observational Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust · NCT07136298

This project tests how well NHS neurophysiology scientists, neurologists, intensivists, and ICU nurses can identify seizures from digital video recordings of ICU events.

Quick facts

Study typeObservational
Enrollment40 (estimated)
SexAll
SponsorNottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust Academic / other
Locations1 site (Nottingham, Nottinghamshire)
Trial IDNCT07136298 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This observational project shows digital video recordings of clinical events on the adult ICU to different groups of NHS staff and asks them to classify which events are seizures versus other movements. Participants are drawn from neurophysiology scientists, neurologists, intensivists, and ICU nurses employed at Nottingham University Hospitals with relevant ICU experience. Raters view videos without accompanying clinical notes and their classifications will be compared to a reference standard (for example concurrent EEG or expert consensus) to measure accuracy. Results will be analyzed to compare performance and common misclassification patterns across staff groups.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal participants are NUH-employed neurophysiology scientists (Band 7+ or CCT holders with ≥1 year adult ICU experience), neurologists and intensivists with ≥1 year covering ICU, and ICU nurses with ≥1 year experience.

Not a fit: Patients outside the adult ICU or those whose care already depends on continuous EEG confirmation rather than bedside visual recognition are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the results could help improve bedside recognition of seizures in the ICU and reduce delays or unnecessary treatments by informing training or diagnostic pathways.

How similar studies have performed: Prior small studies have shown poor concordance between video-only impressions and EEG-confirmed seizures and mixed differences between staff groups, so the approach has precedent but variable results.

Eligibility criteria

Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

Staff working at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) in one of the following staff groups;

* Neurophysiology Scientists/Clinical Physiologists at Band 7 level and above,
* Neurophysiologists who have completed the CCT in Neurophysiology with at least 1 year of Adult ICU experience.
* members of the Neurology medical team with at least 1 years' experience of covering ITU
* Intensivists with at least 1 year's experience working on the Adult intensive care unit
* Nursing staff working on the Intensive care unit with at least 1 year's experience

Exclusion Criteria:

* Staff not employed by NUH i.e. agency staff
* Staff in other groups not mentioned above

Where this trial is running

Nottingham, Nottinghamshire

Study contacts

How to participate

  1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
  2. Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
  3. Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.
Conditions SeizuresIntensive CareClinical ScientistNeurologistsIntensivistsITU Nurses
Last reviewed 2026-06-09 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.