EEG Course for Nurses

Lesson 1 • Overview of EEG Clinical Applications

Surveys EEG use in epilepsy, sleep, ICU monitoring, and anaesthesia. Motivates nurses by connecting neurophysiology to bedside decision-making.

Lesson 2 • Brain Anatomy Relevant to EEG

Reviews lobar anatomy, cortical regions, and subcortical structures influencing EEG patterns. Provides spatial context for electrode placement and signal interpretation.

Lesson 3 • Normal EEG Frequency Bands

Defines delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma bands with their clinical significance. Establishes the frequency vocabulary used throughout the course.

Lesson 1 • Calibration and Equipment Checks

Explains pre-recording calibration, biological calibration signals, and routine maintenance logs. Ensures data validity before every patient study.

Lesson 2 • Electrical Safety and Infection Control

Addresses leakage current limits, grounding, and isolation transformer use alongside standard precautions. Protects patients from microshock and cross-contamination.

Lesson 3 • EEG Machine Components

Describes amplifiers, analog-to-digital converters, filters, and display systems. Understanding hardware prevents troubleshooting errors during recording.

Lesson 1 • Principles of the 10-20 System

Explains landmark measurements, percentage-based spacing, and electrode naming conventions. Standardisation enables comparison across patients and institutions.

Lesson 2 • Extended and Special Electrode Arrays

Introduces the 10-10 system, sphenoidal, and foramen ovale electrodes for specialised studies. Expands placement skills for complex epilepsy and ICU monitoring.

Lesson 3 • Scalp Measurement Techniques

Demonstrates tape-measure methods, marking tools, and head circumference adjustments. Accurate measurement prevents misplaced electrodes and misinterpreted data.

Lesson 1 • Fundamentals of EEG Montages

Defines montage as a systematic arrangement of electrode pairs for display. Distinguishes bipolar chains from referential recordings and their respective advantages.

Lesson 2 • Switching and Reformatting Montages

Teaches real-time montage switching during recording to localise abnormalities. Reformatting stored data post-recording extends diagnostic utility without re-recording.

Lesson 3 • Display Parameters and Paper Speed

Covers sensitivity, time base, filter settings, and polarity conventions for EEG display. Standardised display settings allow consistent visual interpretation across recordings.

Lesson 1 • Paediatric and Neonatal EEG Norms

Covers maturational changes from premature neonates through adolescence including discontinuous patterns and hypnagogic hypersynchrony. Age-matched norms prevent over-diagnosis.

Lesson 2 • Normal Sleep Architecture in EEG

Identifies vertex waves, sleep spindles, K-complexes, and REM patterns across NREM stages. Sleep staging competency supports polysomnography and ICU monitoring roles.

Lesson 3 • Activation Procedures and Their Effects

Explains hyperventilation, photic stimulation, and sleep deprivation effects on normal EEG. Activation procedures enhance sensitivity for detecting abnormalities.

Lesson 4 • Normal Variants and Benign Patterns

Identifies wicket spikes, 14-and-6 positive bursts, SREDA, and POSTS as benign variants. Recognising these prevents unnecessary clinical escalation.

Lesson 1 • Physiological Artifacts

Covers ECG, eye movement, muscle, sweat, and pulse artifacts arising from the patient's body. Distinguishing these from cerebral activity prevents misinterpretation.

Lesson 2 • Artifact Reduction Strategies

Teaches impedance correction, patient repositioning, notch filter use, and environmental shielding. Proactive reduction preserves signal quality without data loss.

Lesson 3 • Artifact Documentation and Annotation

Explains real-time event marking, written annotations, and video correlation for artifact periods. Accurate documentation guides the interpreting neurologist's review.

Lesson 1 • Focal Abnormalities and Lesion Correlation

Describes focal slowing, FIRDA, OIRDA, and breach rhythm in relation to structural lesions. Focal findings guide neuroimaging and clinical management decisions.

Lesson 2 • Critical Care EEG Patterns

Introduces ACNS standardised terminology for periodic and rhythmic patterns in ICU patients. Standardised terminology improves communication between nurses and neurologists.

Lesson 3 • Ictal and Seizure EEG Patterns

Identifies electrographic seizure onset, evolution, and termination patterns across seizure types. Recognising ictal patterns enables timely nursing intervention.

Lesson 4 • Interictal Epileptiform Discharges

Defines spikes, sharp waves, spike-and-wave complexes, and their localisation significance. Interictal discharges support epilepsy diagnosis between seizure events.

Lesson 1 • Responding to Critical EEG Findings

Defines critical value thresholds, escalation pathways, and emergency nursing actions for status epilepticus. Timely response to critical findings directly reduces patient morbidity.

Lesson 2 • Intraoperative EEG Monitoring

Covers anaesthesia depth monitoring, cortical mapping support, and carotid endarterectomy EEG surveillance. Intraoperative roles require rapid response to acute EEG changes.

Lesson 3 • Video-EEG Monitoring Protocols

Explains camera positioning, event button use, and seizure safety protocols during video-EEG. Video correlation is essential for seizure semiology and surgical evaluation.

Lesson 4 • ICU Continuous EEG Monitoring

Addresses nonconvulsive seizure detection, quantitative EEG trends, and neurologist notification criteria. ICU monitoring detects subclinical seizures that alter patient outcomes.