The launch of a reflection on the trajectory of the amputee and musculoskeletal injury program

to maximize the care of families

Marie Enfant’s Amputee and Musculoskeletal Lesions Program offers specialized and subspecialized services for children aged 0 to 18 in Quebec and welcomes young people and their families to identify their needs and define the objectives to be pursued. However, issues of increasing demands complicate care. This is why a reflection on the trajectory of the program will be initiated and will aim not only to reduce waiting times, but also to take into consideration the different aspects of the young patients’ lives.

Musculoskeletal disorders have a significant impact on the lifestyle of patients and their families and require the intervention of multiple professionals so that patients can obtain care specific to their needs: specialized educators, occupational therapists, nurses, medical specialists, orthotists, physiotherapists, prosthetists, psychologists, social workers, etc. All of them work to support the young people enrolled in the Amputee and Musculoskeletal Lesions Program in their adaptation process. The teams often work with patients who present rare and varied problems and pathologies. The team has developed a professional expertise in Quebec that allows young people living with complex conditions to receive state-of-the-art services.

“The program is increasingly solicited by the complexity of the cases that are seen, so we have to devote more time to each of them, which results in a waiting list,” explains Vincent Roy, Assistant Director of Rehabilitation at the CHU Sainte-Justine. “Nevertheless, with the condition of these children, we cannot tolerate a long delay before they are taken into care, and this is why we wish to review our processes in order to become more efficient,” he confirms.

In addition to improving the trajectory of care and services, the psychosocial needs of children and their families for medical, rehabilitation and socio-community integration services are to be reviewed. Supporting young people and their families in adapting to their living conditions and promoting their integration and social participation depend on partners in the various living environments.

The idea would therefore be to empower front-line partners so that they are able to take over once the family has received an initial follow-up within the institution. Reducing the time it takes to get into care could reduce parents’ distress because they would be guided to the services available in the health network and in the community. Local partners are often those who are best able to respond to certain needs. 

Ultimately, the project would allow network partners to play a more active role in responding to families’ social service needs. It is expected that the complementarity of the different actors who, together, optimize their expertise, will allow patients to receive better service and obtain faster overall care.