Medical Articles
Cohen, Kuo, Agrawal, Berry, Bhagat, Simon, Srivastava. Children with Medical Complexity: An Emerging Population for Clinical and Research Initiatives. Pediatrics 2011
ABSTRACT
Children with medical complexity (CMC) have medical fragility and intensive care needs that are not easily met by existing health care models. CMC may have a congenital or acquired multisystem disease, a severe neurologic condition with marked functional impairment, and/or technology dependence for activities of daily living. Although these children are at risk of poor health and family outcomes, there are few well-characterized clinical initiatives and research efforts devoted to improving their care. In this article, we present a definitional frame- work of CMC that consists of substantial family-identified service needs, characteristic chronic and severe conditions, functional limitations, and high health care use. We explore the diversity of existing care models and apply the principles of the chronic care model to address the clinical needs of CMC. Finally, we suggest a research agenda that uses a uniform definition to accurately describe the population and to evaluate outcomes from the perspectives of the child, the family, and the broader health care system. Pediatrics 2011;127:529–538
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Ferris, Wood, Ferris, Sim, Kelly, Saidi, Bhagat, Bickford, Jurczyk. Toward evidence-based health care transition: The Health Care Transition Research Consortium. Int J Child Adolesc Health 2010
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ABSTRACT
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The Health Care Transition Research Consortium (HCTRC) is an interdisciplinary health research group of volunteers committed to advancing the field of health care transition from pediatric to adult-focused providers. The HCTRC membership is international and interdisciplinary and includes adolescents and emerging adults with chronic medical conditions or disabilities along with their family members. The HCTRC seeks to: 1) develop or validate reliable metrics that measure and monitor the process of health care transition and patient outcomes, 2) develop health care transition education curricula for students from health-related disciplines, 3) educate health care providers, health care administrators and local and state policymakers regarding new systems of care to promote successful health care transition, and 4) promote health policy that supports healthy transition at the local, state and federal levels. A summary of the organization’s history, membership, goals, objectives, discussions and accomplishments to date are presented. International Journal of Child and Adolescent Health. 2010;Volume 3, Number 4- Special Issue, pp. 479-486
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