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About us

Unit Aims

The aims of the Rheumatology Unit at the Royal Children's Hospital, Murdoch Children's Research Institute are:

• To provide all children with rheumatic diseases access to a best practice model of care that meets needs of the patients and their families.
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• To provide efficient and effective patient care that:
  • Improves quality of life 
  • Improves disease management 
  • Improves pain management 
  • Improves patients' knowledge about their disease
  • Improves access to paediatric rheumatology services in Victoria

The Rheumatology Model of Care

Paediatric Rheumatology encompasses a wide variety of inflammatory and non-inflammatory conditions of the musculoskeletal system (muscles and joints) as well as conditions of non-infectious multi-system inflammation.

The types of conditions cared for by the Rheumatology team are:

• Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA)
• Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)
• Juvenile Dermatomyositis (JDM)
• Vasculitis
• Hypermobility
• Connective tissue disease
• Scleroderma
• Chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO)

The key components of the model of care are:

• A best practice model which is child-centred and family focused
• Delivered in a co-ordinated manner by a multidisciplinary team
• Encompassing: 
  • Disease management and physical therapy
  • Patient and family education and self management
  • Psychosocial support and intervention
  • Community Liaison
     
    

    Rheumatology best practice model of care