Table 1 Main issues influencing the neurocognitive, psychopathological, and neurological assessment of PKU patients
Pediatric patient | Adolescent patient | Adult patient |
|---|---|---|
Availability of a proper care setting | Availability of a proper care setting | Discontinuity of the doctor-patient relationship (inadequate periodicity of visits) |
Patient availability | Patient availability | Lack of appropriate staff |
Patient motivation for assessment | Patient motivation for assessment | Availability of patients to the assessment |
Psychologist not always available at the time of the visit to the centers | Psychologist not always available at the time of the visit to the centers | Work commitments |
Long evaluation times | Long evaluation times | Fear of the consequences of evaluations |
Need to schedule several meetings | Need to schedule several meetings | Lack of risk perception |
Patient's attentional time | Patient's attentional time | Â |
Patient’s motivation for assessment | Patient’s motivation for assessment |  |
Difficulty by the patient to sustain the assessment | Difficulty by the patient to sustain the assessment | Â |
Lack of parental awareness | Lack of parental awareness | Â |
Fear of the family of the result | Fear of the family of the result | Â |
Need to establish a good relationship with the family | Need to establish a good relationship with the patient | Â |
| Â | Need to establish a good relationship with the patient at a delicate time of transition to adulthood | Â |