Objective: Patients with spina bifida (SB) were historically followed by pediatric providers throughout their entire lives. Through medical and surgical advancements, now more pediatric SB patients are living well into adulthood. Nonetheless, many patients fail to successfully transition to appropriate adult healthcare providers. The goal of this study was to identify factors that helped facilitate or hinder the successful transition of adolescent and young adult (AYA) SB patients to adult providers.
Methods: A systematic review was conducted exploring the transition care of SB patients using the PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases. Titles and abstracts from articles identified were read and selected for full-text review. Studies meeting the inclusion criteria were reviewed in full and analyzed for study design, populations, interventions, and factors influencing transition.
Results: The primary search identified 2050 articles, of which 20 were included in the final review. Thirteen studies discussed factors relating to neurosurgical care, 8 referenced gastrointestinal and genitourinary considerations, 11 examined cognitive and psychosocial factors, and 17 explored healthcare system factors. Several barriers were consistently reported regarding communication, patient and parental attitudes and perceptions, and failure to embrace formalized and transparent protocols. Conflicting results were reported regarding the influence medical comorbidities had on a patient's ability to transition.
Conclusions: The process of transitioning AYA SB patients to adult care is complex, involving an interplay of structural and psychosocial factors. The findings in this review suggest that some barriers can be alleviated with improved education, planning, and awareness of factors that influence transition care.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.3171/2024.5.FOCUS24234 | DOI Listing |
Malawi Med J
January 2025
Department of Health Systems and Policy, School of Global and Public Health, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi.
Background: Each year, nearly 400,000 new cases of paediatric hydrocephalus are estimated to occur worldwide, and almost half of these cases are expected to affect children in Africa. At Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH), an urban tertiary hospital in Blantyre, Malawi, located in south-east Africa, around 200 children received neurosurgical treatment for hydrocephalus in 2023. These children require lifelong follow-up and care, which places significant demands on their caregivers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChilds Nerv Syst
January 2025
Department of Neurological Surgery, Children's Hospital, Goiânia, Brazil.
Background: Myelomeningocele (MMC) is the most common type of congenital spinal malformation, typically requiring surgical intervention. While prenatal repair is increasingly favored, postnatal repair remains the standard in many settings. This study aims to evaluate the antibiotics prescribed to neonates with MMC and their correlation with central nervous system (CNS) infection rates following postnatal surgical repair.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Surg Case Rep
January 2025
Department of Surgery, University of Baghdad, College of Medicine, Baghdad, Iraq.
Spinal dysraphism is the incomplete fusion of the neural arch, which can be seen as an occult or open neural tube defect. Meningoceles are a form of open neural tube defect characterized by cystic dilatation of the meninges containing cerebrospinal fluid without the involvement of neural tissue. Neurosurgical intervention is necessary in the newborn period since survival in advancing ages is often impossible.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFToxics
January 2025
Faculdades Pequeno Príncipe Av Iguaçu, 333, 80230-020 Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
Neural tube defects (NTDs) are the second most common congenital anomaly and have been widely associated with exposure to pesticides. This systematic review which analyzes the association between parental exposure to pesticides and NTDs was conducted in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. The search strategy was designed considering the population, exposure, controls, outcomes, and study design (PECOS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: Latissimus dorsi is a multi-purpose muscle that can be used to repair defects in many areas of the body. The current study aims to investigate latissimus dorsi morphometry, innervation, vascularization, and variational situations in fetuses.
Material And Methods: Forty-nine fetuses, aged between 15 and 40 weeks of gestation, were examined for the morphological development of the latissimus dorsi.
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!