Department of Rehabilitation, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead NSW, Sydney, Australia.
Disabil Rehabil. 2011;33(23-24):2381-8. doi: 10.3109/09638288.2011.568664. Epub 2011 Apr 15.
To describe, within a state-wide transition framework, the pathway to improved health support services for adults with spina bifida. Our aim was to achieve adult care that addressed adult health issues, despite significant budgetary restraints and competition for the public health dollar.
A pilot clinical service project in one of the Area Health Services and a transition workforce study were carried out in the state of NSW in Australia. The advocacy skills of clinicians were harnessed.
A regional adult spina bifida clinic was successfully created and patient resources were developed. Ongoing funding was not granted. A transition workforce study identified the poor clinic attendance of adult spina bifida patients and the high costs of hospital admissions for spina bifida related complications. Through advocacy and data provision, health funding was provided for two health support workers for a new service, the Spina Bifida Adult Resource Team.
An effective transition to adult care is essential for chronic childhood illness, but young people with chronic illness often have no significant voice. Advocacy for public health spending requires compelling evidence which we were able to provide and which could be a model for other service providers.
在全州过渡框架内描述为脊髓裂患者提供更好的健康支持服务的途径。我们的目标是提供针对成人健康问题的护理，尽管受到重大预算限制和公共卫生资金竞争的影响。
在澳大利亚新南威尔士州开展了一项区域卫生服务中的试点临床服务项目和过渡劳动力研究。利用临床医生的宣传技能。
成功创建了一个区域成人脊髓裂诊所，并开发了患者资源。没有获得持续的资金。一项过渡劳动力研究发现，成年脊髓裂患者的就诊率低，与脊髓裂相关并发症的住院治疗费用高。通过宣传和提供数据，为新服务——脊髓裂成人资源小组提供了两名健康支持工作者的资金。
对于慢性儿童疾病来说，有效的过渡到成人护理是至关重要的，但患有慢性疾病的年轻人往往没有很大的影响力。倡导公共卫生支出需要有说服力的证据，我们能够提供这些证据，这可以成为其他服务提供者的一个模式。
