New clinic to help teen patients beat pain and trauma of disease

A NEW service for teenagers suffering from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has opened at a West Yorkshire hospital.

The gastroenterology unit at Bradford Royal Infirmary has introduced the transition clinic to help ease the move from child to adult-orientated healthcare.

BRI consultant gastroenterologist Dr Cathryn Preston said: "In a bid to get patients to take greater responsibility for their own health, we have developed these joint clinics between the adult and paediatric gastro teams, which the young people can attend for as long as is appropriate before transferring permanently to the care of adult services.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"The move from paediatric to adult clinics can be very daunting for teenagers during what can be a very important and vulnerable time in their lives.

"Young people need to know they will be supported through this transition smoothly and successfully as it is an important factor if they are to achieve their maximum potential in terms of education, health, development and well-being."

IBD is the term used for chronic conditions such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis – painful conditions which can lead to a narrowing in the gut.

Typical signs include diarrhoea and bleeding, weight loss, failure to thrive, abdominal pain and sometimes malnutrition.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The clinic, which takes place at the adult outpatients' department, sees patients meet the handover team to discuss the move.

The team consists of a paediatric consultant, an adult gastroenterologist, an adult IBD nurse specialist, a paediatric nurse specialist, the patient's parents who attend for part of the consultation, an outpatient nurse and a paediatric dietician.

The clinics open after school at 3.30pm.

Future plans include a youth panel or mentoring service by young people who have already transferred to the full adult service to help other young people going through the process.

Dr Preston said: "Peer support is critical during adolescence and it's something that has not previously been on offer in the department. We are working hard to make this a reality as it's vital for young people to be able to talk to other teenagers in a similar situation about what they are going through."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Bradford patient Salma Ahmed believes the new clinic will be invaluable.

Miss Ahmed, 16, said: "Suffering from something like Crohn's disease makes you grow up quicker and it's made me realise that life is not a bed of roses.

"There were tough times – the long nights, the long stays in hospital, the pain, but the new clinic sounds really beneficial to young people in Bradford because it will help the transition to adult healthcare run more smoothly and give young people, at a vulnerable stage of their life, time to get used to the change in medical help.

"Growing up as a teenager normally is hard enough work without having something like Crohn's, so anything that encourages normality can only be a good thing."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In Bradford, about 1,600 adults and 50 children, under the age of 18-years-old, suffer from the lifelong condition.

Within the district there is slightly more ulcerative colitis in children from a south Asian background.

Dr Preston added: "We don't know why this illness affects a slightly higher number of Asian children and in order to address Bradford's future health needs we need to understand why this is. So we are currently involved in recruiting for a trial into IBD genetics at Manchester Royal Infirmary to help provide some answers."

Related topics: