Objective:
To educate teens and their siblings on building skills related to self-care, medical independence and living a healthy lifestyle so that they are better prepared to be on their own as they transition to the next stage in life: adulthood.
Methods:
A collaborative, multidisciplinary team consisting of team members from the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center Hemophilia Treatment Center (HTC) and the Tri-State Bleeding Disorder Foundation lead 14 teens attending a family bleeding disorder educational conference in an interactive, educational program.
Participants were teens (ages 12-17) with a bleeding disorder and their siblings. Participants worked in teams and visited six different booths where they engaged in interactive activities such as role playing, exercising and games. Booths were staffed by the HTC staff that included nurse care managers, pharmacists, data manager, social worker, health educator, and a physical therapist. Each booth focused on: genetics of a bleeding disorder, digital citizenship, managing home treatment independently, understanding bleeding disorders, insurance/career planning and fitness /healthy joints.
This evidenced-based educational content was based on the Medical and Scientific Advisory Council (MASAC) transition guidelines for people with a bleeding disorder (Belling e al., 2003). The content and program design was also rooted in the social cognitive theory with elements of vicarious learning, behavioral capability, and self-control.
Summary:
An interactive and evidenced-based teen transition program allowed for teens to gain knowledge in various topics related to gaining in medical independence and self-care skills. All teens that participated in the program demonstrated an increase in knowledge at the program’s end.
Conclusions:
All participants showed an increase in scores from pre-test to post-test. The average scores increased by 20%. The team plans to implement this program again in the future.
References:
Belling L., Harrop M., Kocik S., Obstein, L., Standish, D., Vlasich, W., & Zappa, S. (2003). Transition Guidelines for People with Bleeding Disorders. New York, NY: M.A.S.A.C, 147, 1.