Why a written plan matters more than a verbal summary
Epilepsy surgery is considered for selected people whose seizures are not controlled by medicines, and assessment examines potential benefits and risks. That assessment is not a single appointment. It can involve seizure history review, imaging, EEG and neuropsychological input, and the treating team decides which of these are relevant for a particular patient. When several specialties contribute, the conclusions and the outstanding items can be spread across different conversations, languages and departments.
A written follow-up plan converts those conversations into a document you can carry home. It should state what has been completed, what is still pending, what the team has and has not concluded, and who is responsible for the next action. It is not a promise that surgery will be offered, and it is not a substitute for your own neurologist's judgement. It is a record of what the China team has agreed to do and what it expects others to do.
For an overseas patient, the practical risk is not only clinical. It is that a recommendation given verbally at discharge is later remembered differently by the patient, the family and the local neurologist. A written plan reduces that gap. Ask for it in English where possible, and ask what language the original clinical documents will be in.
Before you travel, decide what you actually need documented. If your main question is whether surgery is suitable, the plan should record the assessment conclusion and its limits. If your main question is how care continues afterwards, the plan should record follow-up timing, imaging or EEG review, medication responsibility and the route back to the China team.
Which presurgical assessments were done, and which are still open
Ask the team to list, in writing, the assessments that formed the basis of its opinion. This is different from asking for a generic test list. The relevant question is: for this patient, which studies were reviewed, which were performed in China, and which results were available at the time of the decision?
Seizure history is central. Ask how the team characterised your seizures, what information it used, and whether anything in the history remains unclear. If video-EEG or prolonged monitoring was part of the assessment, ask for the report and the date. If imaging was reviewed, ask which study and which date. If neuropsychological assessment contributed, ask whether the report is final or provisional.
Then ask the reverse question: what is still missing or unresolved? A plan that lists only completed work is incomplete. It should identify any study the team would want before a final decision, any question it could not answer from the records available, and any area where it recommends local follow-up rather than further work in China.
This matters because an overseas assessment often ends with a conditional conclusion. The team may say that surgery is a possible option but that a specific piece of information is needed first, or that the risks and benefits need further discussion. That condition should appear in the written plan, not only in conversation. Otherwise the patient returns home with an impression of certainty the team did not intend.
Ask specifically whether the team considers the presurgical evaluation complete, incomplete or paused. Those are different states, and each implies a different next step. If it is incomplete, ask what would complete it and whether that can be done locally.
Records: what you take home and what the China team keeps
Ask what documents you will receive and in what format. Typical items to request include the discharge or clinic summary, imaging reports, EEG reports, operative notes if any procedure was performed, and the written follow-up plan itself. Ask whether images are provided on disc or through a portal, and whether reports are in English, Chinese or both.
Ask how records will reach your neurologist at home. Options may include giving you a copy to hand over, sending directly to a named clinician, or uploading to a portal. Confirm which route the hospital will actually use, who will send it, and what information the hospital needs from your local team to do so. Do not assume a particular method is available; ask.
Ask about the limits of what can be shared. Some documents may need to be requested formally, and some may only be released to the patient or a nominated representative. Clarify who is authorised to receive records and whether a consent form is needed.
Keep your own copy of everything. If a question arises later, the fastest route is usually the document you already hold. Store imaging discs carefully and keep a digital copy of reports if you can.
Finally, ask what the China team expects your local neurologist to do with the records. A plan that says 'continue care locally' is less useful than one that says which question the local team is being asked to address, such as reviewing medication, arranging a specific test, or monitoring a particular symptom.
Contacts: who to reach, how, and for what
A follow-up plan should name a contact route for non-urgent clinical questions after you leave China. Ask whether this is a clinic phone number, an email address, a patient portal or a named coordinator. Ask what response time is realistic and whether the route is monitored on working days only.
Be clear about scope. A contact route for administrative questions is not the same as access to the surgeon for clinical advice. Ask which categories of question the team is willing to handle remotely and which should go to your local neurologist. If you develop new or worsening symptoms after returning home, that is a matter for local urgent care, not for a delayed overseas reply.
Ask who will respond if your named contact is unavailable. Departments change, staff rotate and email addresses become inactive. A plan that depends on one individual is fragile. Ask for a departmental route as well as a personal one.
If language is a factor, ask whether replies will be in English and whether interpretation is needed for any follow-up call. Confirm this before you leave rather than discovering it when a question arises.
Write down the contact details in the plan itself, not only in your phone. Include the department name, the hospital name and the specific route agreed.
Responsibility: who owns each next step
The most useful part of a written plan is a clear division of responsibility. For each outstanding item, the document should say who is expected to act: the China hospital, your local neurologist, you, or a family member.
Ask the team to state explicitly what it will do and what it will not do. For example, will it review a follow-up MRI or EEG sent from your home country? Will it respond to a question about medication? Will it provide a further opinion if your situation changes? If the answer is no, that should be recorded so you do not wait for a reply that will not come.
Ask what your local neurologist is being asked to do. If the China team recommends a specific follow-up interval or investigation, that recommendation should be in the document your local clinician receives. Otherwise the local team is working from your account of the visit rather than from the clinical record.
Ask what you are responsible for. This may include arranging local appointments, sending records, or reporting a change in symptoms. Being clear about your own role prevents the plan from stalling.
If the team cannot commit to a particular responsibility, ask it to record that limitation. A plan that says 'the hospital will consider a further review if new information is provided' is honest; a plan that implies ongoing responsibility without a mechanism is not.
How to ask for the plan, and what to do next
Ask for the written plan before the final appointment, not after. Request that it be prepared in draft so you can read it while the team is still available to correct or clarify it. A short meeting to go through the document is more useful than receiving it at the airport.
Use specific questions rather than a general request. Ask: which assessments were completed; which results are pending; what the team has concluded and with what limits; what records you will receive and how they will reach your local neurologist; which contact route is agreed and for what; and who is responsible for each outstanding step.
If the team is unable to provide a written plan in the form you requested, ask what it can provide instead. A clinic summary, a discharge letter or a records release may cover part of what you need. The hospital decides what it can commit to, and its answer should be recorded.
An initial enquiry to ChinaSpecialistCare is free and does not require buying a proxy consultation. If you are considering epilepsy surgery assessment in China, you can start by describing your seizure history, the diagnostic studies you already have and your main question. The team can help identify what information is missing and which hospital route may be relevant. Hospital suitability and any clinical decision remain with the treating centre.
For general information about the procedure and how assessment is approached, see the epilepsy surgery reference page.
Sources & scope of this guide
References and official service information relevant to this guide.
This is general planning information and has not been individually reviewed by a doctor. Medical decisions and personal treatment advice come from your treating clinicians.