PURPOSE: this study aimed to compare the quality of life and areas of occupational performance in epileptic patients before and twelve months after surgery. METHODS: the sample consisted of 30 epileptic patients from the Centro de Cirurgia de Epilepsia da Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto - FAMERP. All participants responded to a semi-structured interview to collect socio-demographic data, the Questionnaire Quality of Life in Epilepsy - 31 (QOLIE-31) and the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure - COPM. RESULTS: nineteen patients (63.3%) were female and eleven (36.7%) males, aged between 22 and 65 years (42.1±11.9). The results obtained with the QOLIE-31 showed significant differences in six of the seven areas that composed the questionnaire when compared to pre-and post-surgical period. The comparison of the results of COPM shows significant increase both in performance and in patients' satisfaction with their activities of daily living, instrumental in daily life and leisure. CONCLUSION: the surgical treatment is effective in improving the quality of life and occupational performance in what could be the medium and long-term social integration most appropriate for epileptic patients.
epilepsy; quality of life; occupational performance; QOLIE-31; COPM
