Ann Acad Med Singap
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Ann Acad Med Singap · Jan 2003
ReviewStrategies to promote better outcomes in young people with chronic illnesses.
This paper aims to provide an overview of chronic illness and disability in young people, focusing on the developmental needs of young people and the impact of chronic illness on adolescence. The emotional well-being of the young person with chronic illness is explored and strategies that promote better health outcomes for the young person through health, family and school settings are discussed. ⋯ Young people with chronic illness have the same developmental needs as other adolescents. Traditional health care is focused on disease outcomes; however, young people do not necessarily share the same focus. Improving health outcomes for young people involves health professionals having an understanding of adolescent development and broadening the medical perspective to incorporate the developmental perspective. Building competence in young people with chronic illness, strengthening connectedness within the family, school and peer group and building the capacity of the health care team in different settings will provide opportunities to enhance resilience in young people with chronic illness. In doing so, their health outcomes will hopefully also be improved.
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Hypercalcaemia is a relatively common clinical problem with a wide spectrum of presentations. This review provides an overview of the diagnosis and management of hypercalcaemia, and recent developments in drug therapy. ⋯ The therapeutic approach to hypercalcaemia should be tailored to the clinical setting. Developments in the understanding of the pathophysiological processes and the increasing availability of more powerful therapeutic options would help in achieving good outcomes in the management of acute and chronic hypercalcaemia.