Patients with IBD suffer greatly. The chronic and relapsing nature of IBD has a huge impact on a person’s emotional, social and psychological health and wellbeing.
Approximately 25% of IBD patients are diagnosed before the age of 16. Adolescent patients who transition to our services from paediatric care can experience a lot of challenges.
A disrupted transition can lead to patients disengaging from their care and treatment which could impact their emotional, social and psychological wellbeing and increase IBD complications such as disease flares, hospitalisations, and surgery.
Dr Kate Lynch, Head of IBD Services at the RAH, is working to improve the transition experience from the Women’s and Children’s Hospital (WCH) to the RAH.
“Improving the transition experience could make a big difference on the clinical outcomes for young people and set them up for a lifetime of health.”
Dr Kate Lynch, Head of IBD Services at the RAH.
Dr Lynch aims to identify which factors contribute to a poor transition, how this affects clinical outcomes and quality of life, and what can be done to improve the adolescent transition processes.
These findings, together with existing international recommendations, will form the basis of a formal IBD adolescent transition pathway from WCH to CALHN (both RAH and TQEH). This is envisaged as including a dedicated adolescent IBD clinic including both paediatric and adult gastroenterologists, IBD nurse consultants, an IBD psychologist and other allied health staff.
Your support will help establish a formal transition programme that could lead to better patient health and quality of life.