Guardianship can provide safe and healthy care for individuals with special health care needs. Familiarity with the requirements and processes surrounding the assignment of legal guardianship is essential for health care professionals (HCPs) to competently determine guardianship eligibility. This activity will provide an overview of the types of guardianship that exist, how the need for a guardian is determined and the process of establishing guardianship. It will help guide HCPs through common issues and challenges that may arise during this process, including the need for determining the individual’s competency. HCPs will also gain insight into how to identify circumstances that may require further intervention and review indications that ethics committee involvement or risk management processes may be necessary.

This presentation exams the challenges surrounding rare-disease diagnosis and treatment, delving further into the significant impact of the diagnostic odyssey on adults, children, and their families as they seek care for their rare conditions. A panel of individuals speak about the challenges of their own rare-disease odysseys and provide insight into the pronounced effects their prolonged and necessary diagnostic pursuits have had on their personal lives, finances, and physical and mental health.

This activity provides a thorough understanding of the recommended health care transition (HCT) components, considerations and goals that should be constant across HCT planning. It discusses the importance of coordinating the efforts of the health care team, adolescent and family to ensure continuity of care, positive health outcomes, and optimal quality of life.

Obesity, a major health concern that now affects over 40 percent of the U.S. population, is highly influenced by multiple factors and social determinants of health (SDOH), including disparities in health care access, morbidity and mortality rates, health behavior, and multiple risk factors. Diagnostic disparities may also exist: data on body mass index (BMI) thresholds — used in diagnosis and metabolic and cardiovascular evaluation — indicate variations in specific race/ethnicity and gender subgroups that may not be incorporated in current practice. These disparities and how they are currently being addressed are discussed during this session, as well as the prevalence of obesity and concomitant conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer among populations of varying age, sex, race/ethnicity, and SDOH.