learning

Course aims 

Some people at risk of prolonged seizures are prescribed medicine to use in the community in emergency situations, to try and stop the seizures. There are different types of emergency medicine. This course is for people who will administer buccal midazolam. The course is suitable for:

• Health and social care staff working in care homes and community settings such as day centres and people’s own homes
• School staff who will administer buccal midazolam to pupils
• Parents and other family members identified to be trained

Pre-course requirements

You must have completed epilepsy awareness training before you start training on the administration of buccal midazolam. We recommend that you complete the epilepsy awareness course no more than a month before starting this course so the content is fresh in your memory. If you completed the course longer ago than this, you may wish to go back and refresh your knowledge.
Epilepsy awareness training is available by completing a relevant Epilepsy Action online course.

• Health and social care workers – Supporting and caring for people with epilepsy
• Schools staff – Epilepsy awareness for schools or Epilepsy for teachers
• Parents and family carers – Your child and epilepsy

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The course has been developed with epilepsy specialist nurses and care professionals. 

Published | March 2022

To be reviewed | March 2025

Learning objectives

This course will equip you with the knowledge to administer buccal midazolam for prolonged seizures. By the end of this course you will:

• Know what buccal midazolam is and what it is prescribed for
• Know when to use buccal midazolam
• Understand the recommended administration guidance for buccal midazolam and potential difficulties in giving it
• Know the side-effects of buccal midazolam
• Understand information in a buccal midazolam care plan
• Know what to do if the seizure does not stop and when to call an ambulance
• Be aware of your organisation’s policies in administering buccal midazolam, storing buccal midazolam and record keeping
• For health and social care workers – Be ready for your employer to assess your competence

What does it involve?

The course includes 3 modules and an end of course assessment. All of the interactive course materials can be accessed online from a computer or tablet with internet access. The course takes around 2-3 hours to complete. You can work through the course at your own pace.

Assessment

You will be issued with a certificate of completion on passing the assessment. Completing this course does not confirm you are competent to administer buccal midazolam. It is your employer’s responsibility to confirm you are competent before you administer buccal midazolam. Your employer may have their own competency checklist. The Epilepsy Specialist Nurses Association (ESNA) have also produced a competency checklist to help your employer assess your competence.
The ESNA best practice guidelines recommend 2 yearly updates to epilepsy awareness and buccal midazolam training. This course covers all the essential components for refresher training.