Written Care Plan
An effective care plan for growth concerns should meet all of the patient/family’s medical, psychosocial, and educational needs. It should have the following characteristics: It should be comprehensive, guideline-based, developed in partnership with the family (and, when appropriate, the patient), understandable by the patient and family, provided in a coordinated and comprehensive manner to the patient’s medical home and referral provider(s), and inclusive of a medical summary with condition-specific action plans
Common elements of a comprehensive guideline-based care plan for growth-related care:
- Growth diagnosis(es)
- Treatment plan
- Coexisting diagnoses
- Medications, supplements, vitamins, dosages
- Other therapies
- Allergies
- Recent clinical exam results
- Recent diagnostic test results
- Extracurricular activity involvement
- Hospitalizations
- Educational status
- Sleep habits
- Psychosocial issues
- Patient or family concerns
- Recommended physical activity, with any needed adaptations
- Recommended dietary adaptations or changes
- Patient or family limitations to following the plan
- Educational materials that were provided to patient/family
- Team members, and their roles, responsibilities, and contact information;
- A medical summary with condition-specific action plans
- Transition plan to adult care (as appropriate).