Fear Factor
Fear Factor
Last September, Seattle Children's Hospital hosted a "graduation day" party for one of its longtime patients, Robyn Nichols.
Robyn first entered the hospital as a 21-month-old after a major car accident that left her a quadriplegic and ventilator-dependent. She was in a coma for nine weeks and spent many days and nights in the children's hospital. Now 20 years old, she's ready to be cared for in an adult hospital when the need arises.
Her mother, Amy Thompson, wrote a letter thanking the staff for their dedication. And while she's sad to say goodbye, she's grateful for their efforts in overseeing the shift in Robyn's care to adult specialists.
"If I were to let a doctor know one thing about transitioning a pediatric [patient] to adult care, [it] is for them to recognize how scary it is for the patient as well as the family," Thompson says. "After being in the adult world with a special-needs adult daughter for a couple of months, I want to go back [to the children's hospital]. The unknown, when you are talking life and death, can be terrorizing."
As pediatric patients with chronic medical conditions enter adolescence and the young adult years, proper transitions can make a significant difference in their inpatient and outpatient care. And with thoughtful collaboration, hospitalists can deliver solutions that lead to good outcomes.
"A safe transition provides a great deal of relief and comfort to the families of these patients," says Moises Auron, MD, FAAP, FACP, assistant professor of medicine and pediatrics at The Cleveland Clinic.
Abstract and Introduction
Introduction
Last September, Seattle Children's Hospital hosted a "graduation day" party for one of its longtime patients, Robyn Nichols.
Robyn first entered the hospital as a 21-month-old after a major car accident that left her a quadriplegic and ventilator-dependent. She was in a coma for nine weeks and spent many days and nights in the children's hospital. Now 20 years old, she's ready to be cared for in an adult hospital when the need arises.
Her mother, Amy Thompson, wrote a letter thanking the staff for their dedication. And while she's sad to say goodbye, she's grateful for their efforts in overseeing the shift in Robyn's care to adult specialists.
"If I were to let a doctor know one thing about transitioning a pediatric [patient] to adult care, [it] is for them to recognize how scary it is for the patient as well as the family," Thompson says. "After being in the adult world with a special-needs adult daughter for a couple of months, I want to go back [to the children's hospital]. The unknown, when you are talking life and death, can be terrorizing."
As pediatric patients with chronic medical conditions enter adolescence and the young adult years, proper transitions can make a significant difference in their inpatient and outpatient care. And with thoughtful collaboration, hospitalists can deliver solutions that lead to good outcomes.
"A safe transition provides a great deal of relief and comfort to the families of these patients," says Moises Auron, MD, FAAP, FACP, assistant professor of medicine and pediatrics at The Cleveland Clinic.
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