Leaving the nest: Improving food allergy management on college campuses.

BACKGROUND: The transition from adolescence to young adulthood marks a developmental period in which responsibility for management of chronic conditions such as food allergy shifts from the caregiver to the young adult. Fatal food-induced anaphylaxis is most common among adolescents and young adults. However, colleges are currently not well positioned to provide integrated support for students with food allergies. OBJECTIVE: The study objective was to explore the systems, structures, and policies that currently support students with food allergies at college, assess unmet needs, and develop pilot interventions through the use of patient-centered design processes. METHODS: Key informant interviews were conducted with stakeholders in the campus management of food allergies (n = 26) between April and May 2016. Data were coded and assessed for relative frequencies of each code to determine challenges and potential solutions. RESULTS: The convergence of stakeholder-identified themes indicated that the transition to college for students with food allergy would be improved by providing support for: (1) Notification of others in the student's campus network about food allergy; (2) Establishing clearly defined roles/responsibilities; and (3) Increasing campus awareness of food allergy signs, symptoms, and lethality. To better provide comprehensive support for students, 5 interventions-collectively called Spotlight-were developed. CONCLUSION: The use of qualitative research methods, patient-centered design processes, and collaborations with diverse stakeholders-including pediatricians that care for adolescents-can provide a framework for designing coordinated systems and policies to provide comprehensive support to college students with food allergy. Next steps include rigorously testing implementation of the Spotlight intervention prototypes.

Parents' and service providers' perceptions of the family goal setting tool: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: This qualitative study describes parents' and service providers' experiences in using the Family Goal Setting Tool (FGST). This article looks specifically at the tool's perceived clinical utility during annual, collaborative goal setting. METHODS: Participants included eight parents and ten service providers involved in a Family and Early Childhood Service in Queensland, Australia. Participants were interviewed individually (parents and one service provider) or in a focus group (service providers). The transcribed interviews were analysed using standard content analysis techniques. RESULTS: Four key themes emerged including: (i) the facilitation of goal setting, (ii) strengths-based focus, (iii) family centred processes and (iv) family empowerment. CONCLUSIONS: Both parents' and service providers' were positive about the FGST. Insights into barriers to holistic goal setting and the clinical utility of the tool are described. Further refinement of the tool and trial in a range of early intervention contexts is required.