Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/425939
S T U DY I N G S U CC ES S RESEARCHERS AT WINTHROP-UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL are collecting data for an ongoing study to examine follow-up data for the transi- tion program's emerging adult patients. Results thus far have demonstrated the program's success and identified areas for improvement. "Our data showed that 90 percent of our patients kept their follow-up appointments at three months and 100 percent kept the six-month appointment," says Eileen Egan, DNP, CDE, Principal Investigator. "We're also looking at the psychosocial determinants — diabetes-related distress, quality of life and subjects' perception of their diabetes provider's support for autonomy and independence — related to the transition period, and how they affect patients and their families. Another focus is whether or not parents feel prepared for transition, and we will reshape that aspect of the program according to our results." Authors of a 2012 study published in Current Diabetes Reports analyzed the frequency with which adult patients among the diabetic population scheduled and attended follow-up visits. The success of the transition program at Winthrop-University Hospital stands in positive contrast to national and international statistics. For example, in the United Kingdom, nearly 100 percent of patients maintained high clinical attendance while under the care of pediatric endocrinologists, but following transition to adult care, attendance dropped to 57 percent. It Takes a Village T he ev idenced-ba sed t ra nsit ion program developed and implemented by providers under the umbrella of Winthrop-University Hospital's Diabetes and Obesity Institute hinges on the expertise of a multidisciplinary team of pediatric and adult endocrinology spe- cialists who offer the highest standards of care on either side of the transition. "Our pediatric endocrinology program cares for patients from a very young age — we've had the rare privilege of treating 11-month-old babies with Type 1 diabetes — to emerging adult- hood," says Robert L. Levine, MD, PhD, pediatric endocrinologist at Winthrop- University Hospital. "Our commitment to patients is shown in the success of our transition program. The literature shows that patients who unsuccessfully transition return to their pediatric providers because they didn't receive enough support." The success cultivated by Winthrop- University Hospital's diabetes transition program is largely due to the leadership of Eileen Egan, DNP, CDE, and Jean Corrigan, RN, CDE, and an expert staff committed to providing patient- and fam- ily-centered care in a respectful manner. "At diagnosis, the pediatric endo- crinology team becomes the family's lifeline for diabetes management," Peragallo-Dittko says. "The foundation of the Winthrop transition is built on respect for the relationship between the family and the pediatric team with an understanding that it can be difficult to let go of that bond." Pediatric and adult endocrinologists who anchor each transition team, along with the transition coordinator, nurses and nurse practitioners who are all certi- fied diabetes educators, play important roles in guiding patients through this vital period and beyond. Cindy Bredefeld, DO, CCD, attending physician at Winthrop-University Hospital, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, and Assistant Professor of Medicine, SUNY-Stony Brook School of Medicine, meets with a patient during a tech mastery session, which aims to provide training and monitoring of patients treated with intensive insulin therapy so they can benefit from leading-edge technological advances in diabetes care. A continuous glucose monitor tracing M D N E W S . CO M ■ MD NEWS Long Island | 7