JOINT CONSULTATION FOR HIGH-RISK ASTHMATIC-CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES, WITH PEDIATRICIAN AND CHILD-PSYCHIATRIST AS CO-THERAPISTS - MODEL AND EVALUATION
V. Godding et al., JOINT CONSULTATION FOR HIGH-RISK ASTHMATIC-CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES, WITH PEDIATRICIAN AND CHILD-PSYCHIATRIST AS CO-THERAPISTS - MODEL AND EVALUATION, Family process, 36(3), 1997, pp. 265-280
Although a very common disease, childhood asthma can be a life-threate
ning condition. Psychosocial determinants have been acknowledged to tr
igger severe asthma. The authors review current knowledge about how ps
ychosocial factors influence childhood asthma, with a special focus on
compliance with treatment and family interaction. The authors describ
e their experience of joint treatment of high-risk asthmatic children
and their families. The pediatrician and child psychiatrist work as co
-therapists, and the results of this intervention are investigated. Fo
rty-one high-risk asthmatics and their families were followed in the j
oint-consultation. program. Two years after the onset of joint consult
ation, a significant improvement was found in symptom score, treatment
score, and compliance score. The number of hospital admissions and of
days spent in hospital decreased significantly. The cost of care was
subsequently cu by two-thirds, despite the added cost of psychiatric c
are. The authors conclude that it is possible for doctors of the body
and of the mind to share consultation work, with a positive impact on
both the patient's health and the cost of treatment.