G135 IS CAREER ADVICE THE NEXT INTERVENTION IN PAEDIATRIC CARDIOLOGY?

D. S. Crossland, S. Jackson, R. Lyall, J. Burn, J. J. O’Sullivan. Department of Paediatric Cardiology, Freeman Hospital

Aims: To compare the education, career advice, and employment outcome of patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) with controls.

Methods: 299 adult CHD patients underwent a questionnaire based interview by a trained nurse. They gave the same questionnaire to a friend to act as a control, 177 controls replied.

Results: The mean school leaving age was 16.4 in both the CHD and control group. Compared with matched controls significantly more of the CHD group had time off school (48/176 (27%) v 7/176 (4%), p<0.0001) and more had gone onto educational or vocational courses (145/174 (83%) v 123/174 (71%), p = 0.004). Similar proportions of both groups received career advice while at school (84% CHD group, 80% controls). Fewer of those with CHD found their career advice helpful (26/134 (19%) v 41/134 (31%), p 0.037) and more with CHD were given advice against certain occupations (71/169 (42%) v 19/169 (11%), p<0.0001). Significantly more of the adults with CHD were unemployed than matched controls (51/156 (33%) v 25/156 (16%), p<0.0001) and unemployed for more than a year (37/151 (25%) v 5/151 (3%), p<0.0001). Proportionally more CHD patients who had received career advice were employed than CHD patients who had not (157/216 (73%) v 25/54 (46%), p = 0.0002). This was not seen in controls.

Conclusions: Children with CHD are more likely to be unemployed as adults than controls. They are less likely to find their career advice helpful and more likely to receive advice against certain occupations. Receiving career advice is associated with employment in CHD patients. There seems to be a need for helpful, positive, yet medically appropriate career advice for teenagers with CHD. Including career advisors in an adolescent or transition clinic would be an ideal …