Danielle Andrade, MD, MSc: Transitioning Patients With Epilepsy to Adult Care

“I see the patient after he or she left the pediatric system, but there are lots of things that need to be prepared before they leave. It is impossible for one person to do everything. Ideally, we would like to have a team of people working together.”

The old adage says it takes a village to raise a child—but what about a child with epilepsy? While childhood onset epilepsy obviously offers both parents and physicians a number of challenges, one of the oft undiscussed hurdles to overcome is the transition from pediatric to adult care.

Danielle Andrade, MD, MSc, is an adult neurologist at the University of Toronto who sees these patients transitioning from the pediatric system. Although she noted in a conversation with NeurologyLive that there are several, often individualized, hurdles which arise in this process, but the lack of adequate resources needed to prepare the patient for the transition almost always becomes apparent.

At the 2019 International Epilepsy Congress, in Bangkok, Thailand, Andrade discussed this challenge in depth with NeurologyLive, in addition to speaking at the meeting to address the need for transition programs in epilepsy care.

She detailed how a multi-faceted team is the best and most ideal approach to managing a patient with epilepsy who is moving into adulthood, as a number of health care professionals—social workers, nurses, physicians—are needed to ensure the patient handles their disease. Andrade also shared insight into additional measures and tools which can be utilized between the ages of 12 and 17 years to help prepare the patient to the adult care system.

For more coverage of IEC 2019, click here.

REFERENCE

Andrade D. The need for transition programs. Presented at: 2019 International Epilepsy Congress. June 22-26, 2019; Bangkok, Thailand. Presentation 71.