[Issues of transition support to adulthood and the practices of pediatric-adult healthcare transition in neurological diseases].

ABSTRACT

A workshop of the Special Committee on Measures for Transition from Pediatric to Adult Health Care, the Japanese Society of Neurology was held to discuss various issues and practices involved in healthcare transition. The following points were addressed (1) the history of, and issues involved in, promoting support for patients requiring medical care, (2) cooperation between pediatric medical centers and university hospitals, (3) collaboration between pediatrics and neurology in medical and rehabilitation facilities, and (4) a questionnaire survey of members of the Japanese Society of Neurology. The reasons for extreme difficulties in pediatric-adult healthcare transition for patients with neurological diseases, especially those who require continuous intensive medical care over a long period of time, include the difference in the operating systems of pediatric and adult departments, in addition to the difference in the diseases treated during childhood and adulthood. For holistic transition support, it is necessary to strengthen cooperation not only among medical professionals, but also among multiple professions, as well as between local communities and government.