Achieving self-management of prophylactic treatment in adolescents: The case of haemophilia

- The process of achieving self-management skills in adolescents have never been studied before in chronic diseases.
- Achieving self-management skills in adolescents is a gradual process of approximately 10 years.
- This process mostly coinciding with the reported stages of adolescence.
- Complete self-management was achieved at the age of 23 years old.

ObjectiveAdolescents with a chronic disorder, such as haemophilia, need to attain responsibility for their disease. The aim was to gain insight into how adolescents achieve self-management of prophylactic treatment.MethodsIn three Dutch Haemophilia Treatment Centres, adolescents (10-25 years) received structured questions on treatment responsibility and self-management (pre-specified definitions) during routine nursing consultation.ResultsIn total, 155 interviews were performed in 100 patients (median age 14.4 years). Self-infusion was initiated at a median age of 12.3 years (IQR 11.5-13.0) and self-management was achieved 9.6 years later, at a median age of 22.6 years. This process included three phases coinciding with known stages of adolescence. In early adolescence, patients acquired the technique of self-infusion (12.3 years) leading to independent self-infusion in middle adolescence (17.2 years). In late adolescence, patients demonstrated an increase in more complex skills, such as bleeding management and communication with the haemophilia physician (19.9-22.6 years).ConclusionAlthough, the first steps in self-management with regard to self-infusion are taken in early adolescence, complete self-management was achieved in late adolescence after almost 10 years.Practice implicationsInsight in this transitional process helps to provide individualized support and emphasizes the need for continued education with regard to self-management skills.