Transitioning the young adult with congenital heart disease for life-long medical care.
Guidelines for the successful orchestration of transitioning of the adolescent and young and older adult patient with congenital heart disease to a health care system appropriate for their long-term congenital heart disease care and counseling appear necessary to improve patient and family confidence, education, therapy, life quality, and survival outcomes. Schema for care organization and delivery for adult patients with congenital heart disease remain primitive and largely unimplemented. The presence of a strong central care oversight organization and the establishment of a multi-institutional database to assist in assessment of care outcomes and guidelines appears requisite to these needs and for the establishment of transitioning guidelines for these patients as they assume a greater and deeper shared control of their futures with their caregivers.
Fernandes
Susan M
SM
Boston Adult Congenital Heart Service, Department of Cardiology, Children's Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Landzberg
Michael J
MJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010347:Patient Care Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*