Rosemary Peterson, MD, MSCE, & Joyce Chang, MD, MSCE | Issue: April 2021 |
Approximately 50% of young adult patients with childhood-onset rheumatic diseases become lost to follow-up within the first year of transferring to adult rheumatology care, mirroring the statistics of other subspecialties.1,2 One of the challenges cited most consistently by young adult patients and their families relates to differences between rheumatology care delivery in the pediatric and…
Dr. Sheffield is an adult rheumatologist who received the following referral request from a family doctor: “Please see this 22-year-old male with a history of juvenile arthritis for ongoing care. I have only seen him once, and have no previous medical records.” Dr. Sheffield meets with Paul, who reports that he has had arthritis since…
The transition from pediatric to adult care can be a rocky one. For many rheumatology patients, any problems in the move can cause gaps in care. To address this issue, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) joined the American College of Physicians’ (ACP) Pediatric to Adult Care Transitions Initiative. The Initiative is a project spearheaded…
Gaps in healthcare are common between the ages of 17 and 21. But simple collaborations between adult and pediatric rheumatologists can go a long way to help young adults stay engaged in their rheumatology care…