A partnership of care: an approach to the management of adults with cystic fibrosis.
Several factors occurring more or less simultaneously have led to a major change in the management of adults with cystic fibrosis at The Prince Charles Hospital, Brisbane. Less than 50 years ago, 80 per cent of infants born with cystic fibrosis did not survive the first two years of life. In Australia today, the median survival is around 30 years of age, with many surviving into their fourth decade (Landau & Ryan 1991, p 4). Recent developments in the management and treatment of cystic fibrosis provide an exciting and promising foundation for further development and a changing focus in cystic fibrosis management. Increased longevity has significant implications for the management of adults with cystic fibrosis. Until recently, most people with cystic fibrosis were managed within the paediatric setting, with the expectation that life expectancy would not exceed adolescence. In reality, there has been a dramatic increase in the number transferring from children's hospitals to adult facilities, and a subsequent need to provide optimal care to a group of patients coming to terms with their own perceptions of being adolescents with a life-shortening condition. From an organisational perspective, the increased demand for resources has generated the need to consider alternative methods of providing care. Such options include home intravenous therapy, day admission, alternative accommodation and education of staff in remote health centres. Home intravenous therapy has proven to be a popular alternative to hospital treatment and has significant implications for reducing lengths of stay and occupied bed-days. Within the current focus on best practice, developing strategies for providing optimal health care in the hospital setting are paramount. A multidisciplinary team focus based on a 'partnership of care' philosophy underpinned by best practice principles describes the approach adopted by the cystic fibrosis team at The Prince Charles Hospital that has led to successful outcomes in meeting challenges inherent in the care of young adults with cystic fibrosis.
Gledhill
S
S
Thoracic Services, Prince Charles Hospital, Brisbane.
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D003191:Comprehensive Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D006801:Humans; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010348:Patient Care Team; D011793:Queensland