Adult patients in paediatric intensive care units

• Published in: Hong Kong medical journal = Xianggang yi xue za zhi Vol. 28; no. 6; p. 497
• Main Authors: Leung, Karen KY, Hon, K L, Oberender, Felix, Ip, Patrick, Joanna YL Tung
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Chinese; English
• Published: Hong Kong Hong Kong Academy of Medicine 01-12-2022
• Subjects: Congenital diseases; Health care policy; Mortality; Teenagers; China; Hong Kong China
• ISSN: 1024-2708; 2226-8707
• DOI: 10.12809/hkmj208948

[...]paediatricians and paediatric allied health providers may be unfamiliar with adult diseases and must continue the child's care until they are transitioned to adult services. [...]there is a lack of comprehensive healthcare policy on this subject matter, and this can affect healthcare resource allocation and budgeting. Transitional care is widely defined as ‘the purposeful, planned movement of adolescents and young adults with chronic physical and medical conditions from child-centred to adult-oriented healthcare systems'.4 An effective transition process can provide appropriate high-quality uninterrupted medical care services for the patient, and a communication platform for the main participants in the patient's treatment to enhance the patient's health, life outcomes, self-management, and autonomy.4 5 6 7 8 9 In contrast, a premature transition to adult-oriented therapy may lead to insufficient preparation, resulting in transition failure, non-adherence to treatment and poor engagement with healthcare