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Seeing the GP about minor short-term problems
Here, people talk about: when to see the GP about minor health issues young people's experiences of minor short-term problems When to see the GP...
Here, people talk about:
what is a long-term condition?
young people’s experiences of being diagnosed
messages to GPs
young people’s experiences of living with a long-term condition
What is a long-term condition?
A long-term condition is a health problem that can’t, at the present time, be cured but can be controlled by medication and other therapies. Long-term conditions impact on a person’s life and need ongoing care and support. Examples include Type 1 diabetes, asthma, eczema, long-term pain, inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease, thyroid problems, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), epilepsy, juvenile arthritis, kidney disease, and sickle cell anaemia. Young people can be diagnosed with a long-term health problem at any age. This can be at birth or when they’re a few months old. Some people find out about their illness when they’re children, in their teens, or in their early twenties. GPs will normally be the first port of call for long-term conditions. They may diagnose the condition themselves or refer the person to hospital for further tests. For many long-term health problems, the ongoing care after diagnosis is organised (co-ordinated) by the GP and specialist nurses in the surgery. This can include helping to chase up tests and talking with the specialists as and when needed. Some people with long-term conditions need to have regular blood tests – these are often done at the GP surgery and the results are sent to the specialist.
Amy, like several other people we talked to, found that it can take a long time to get a diagnosis. Both Amy and Emma pointed out that it can be difficult to know whether to go to the GP; in Amy’s case her symptoms kept coming and going, and Emma at first put it down to just feeling tired.
talk to the young person instead of to their parent(s)
give young people all the information they need about their condition, including how it could affect them emotionally and where they can find support
appreciate that there’s a lot of pressure on young people and even more on young people living with a long-term health problem
involve young people in making decisions about their health, including tests, treatment and long-term plans
ask young people during the consultation (appointment) how they feel physically and emotionally
More young people talk about their experiences of living with long-term conditions.
Here, people talk about: when to see the GP about minor health issues young people's experiences of minor short-term problems When to see the GP...
Here, people talk about the following topics: what is mental health? when to see the GP about mental health young people's experiences of symptoms talking...