ESPE Abstracts

Background: Despite having a significant impact on patient care and treatment success, nurses’ roles and responsibilities in growth disorder (GD) treatment varies substantially between countries and should be optimised.

Objective and hypotheses: To understand the critical role nurses play in patient clinical outcomes and how they can improve the patient management pathway.

Methods: Nurses involved in the care of patients with GD from France, UK, Israel, USA and Japan convened at an advisory board in December 2014 to discuss their role at each stage of the patient management pathway and how unmet needs in GD could be addressed.

Results: Nurses outlined three crucial stages of the patient management pathway where their role can help improve patient adherence and clinical outcomes. Stage 1: after confirmation of GD diagnosis by a physician, most nurses will discuss treatment options and implications with the patient and family, resulting in mutual treatment selection. Stage 2: educating the patient on selected treatment. Nurses will train the patient and family at home or in the clinic on the use of the device and initiate treatment. Stage 3: long-term follow-up is primarily by clinic visits, where nurses troubleshoot any problems raised by the patient or family regarding treatment, including growth expectations, side effects and adherence. A key unmet need in GD identified by the panel was for nurses to educate general practitioners, paediatricians, paediatric nurses, and school nurses in growth surveillance to improve awareness of GD, which could improve early referral of children to a paediatric endocrinologist.

Conclusion: Nurses play an important role in the patient management journey. From their contribution to early diagnosis and referral through aiding in treatment selection, long-term management and adherence, nurses ensure success of the GD patient journey. Moreover, nurses can expand their role to educate healthcare practitioners and ultimately improve patient care.

Disclosures: Authors did not receive payment for abstract development but attended a meeting sponsored by Novo Nordisk where discussions within this abstract took place: Galit Asher (Israel), Corinne Bertin (France), Nami Eguchi (Japan), Maryann Johnson (USA), Hiromi Komiyama (Japan), Peter Laing (UK), Sylvie Uhel-Dennie (France) and Amanda Whitehead (UK) also participated.

Conflict of interest: Authors did not receive payment for abstract development but attended a meeting sponsored by Novo Nordisk where discussions within this abstract took place: Galit Asher (Israel), Corinne Bertin (France), Nami Eguchi (Japan), Maryann Johnson (USA).

Funding: Abstract development was supported by Novo Nordisk, Zurich, Switzerland. Editorial assistance was provided by Dr Juliet Bell of apothecom scopemedical ltd, funded by Novo Nordisk.