Development of a multidisciplinary consultation in pediatric rheumatology in Switzerland with a link to daily life of the patient

Background

Pediatric patients consulting a rheumatologist are suffering from chronic diseases leading to a decreased quality of life associated with fears and many daily life problems.

Aim

We developed a multidisciplinary approach to help the patients and their parents in their daily life with the disease and try to improve their quality of life.

Methods

We established a multidisciplinary network in the French part of Switzerland, within and outside the hospital, with pediatric rheumatologists, nurses, physical therapists and occupational therapists. The patients are seen by the different members of the team according to their needs, and after consent of the physician, patient and parents. The nurses are providing a link between the consultation and the daily life of the child (family, home, school). With the different members of the team, we evaluated the needs of the patients and the goals of the network.

Results

We identified different items for patients' needs: support, help, information, prevention, teaching for the patient and the family; and for the goals of the network: best integration of the child (school, daily activities), autonomy of the patient and his family, improve the quality of life, create a link between the different professionals to improve the outcome of the therapies.

Conclusion

By establishing a multidisciplinary approach of care for the children with rheumatic diseases, we identified the items, which are to our opinion the most pertinent in order to improve the quality of the care to these patients.