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Optimizing Patient Management and Adherence for Children Receiving Growth Hormone.

  • Acerini CL Department of Paediatrics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
  • Wac K Quality of Life Technologies Laboratory, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
  • Bang P Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
  • Lehwalder D Global Medical Affairs, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.
  • 2017-12-07
Published in:
  • Frontiers in endocrinology. - 2017
adherence
digital health
endocrinology
growth hormone administration devices
pediatric growth hormone response
personalized medicine
English Poor adherence with growth hormone (GH) therapy has been associated with worse clinical outcomes, which in children relates specifically to their linear growth and loss of quality of life. The "360° GH in Europe" meeting, held in Lisbon, Portugal, in June 2016 and funded by Merck KGaA (Germany), examined many aspects of GH diseases. The three sessions, entitled "Short Stature Diagnosis and Referral," "Optimizing Patient Management," and "Managing Transition," each benefited from three guest speaker presentations, followed by an open discussion and are reported as a manuscript, authored by the speakers. Reported here is a summary of the proceedings of the second session, which reviewed the determinants of GH therapy response, factors affecting GH therapy adherence and the development of innovative technologies to improve GH treatment in children. Response to GH therapy varies widely, particularly in regard to the underlying diagnosis, although there is little consensus on the definition of a poor response. If the growth response is seen to be less than expected, the possible reasons should be discussed with patients and their parents, including compliance with the therapy regimen. Understanding and addressing the multiple factors that influence adherence, in order to optimize GH therapy, requires a multi-disciplinary approach. Because therapy continues over many years, various healthcare professionals will be involved at different periods of the patient's journey. The role of the injection device for GH therapy, frequent monitoring of response, and patient support are all important for maintaining adherence. New injection devices are incorporating electronic technologies for automated monitoring and recording of clinically relevant information on injections. Study results are indicating that such devices can at least maintain GH adherence; however, acceptance of novel devices needs to be assessed and there remains an on-going need for innovations.
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  • English
Open access status
gold
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https://sonar.ch/global/documents/271505
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