How to define successful transition? An exploration of consensus indicators and outcomes in young adults with chronic conditions.

BACKGROUND

In this short report, we use data from a previous cohort study to explore the relationship between five out of eight consensus indicators for successful transition and patient-reported outcomes in young adulthood.

METHODS

Data came from a 6-year cohort study that consisted of a survey among 518 young adults with various chronic conditions and a review of their electronic patient records. Associations between five indicators for successful transition and background variables and patient-reported outcomes were explored with Spearman's r. Significant variables were included in stepwise (logistic) regression analyses with transition outcomes as dependent variables.

RESULTS

The indicators relate to some extent to better healthcare-related transition outcomes, but not to autonomy in participation. The explained variance of the models varied from 9.7% to 26.4%. The change in explained variance after adding indicators varied from 2% to 16%.

CONCLUSIONS

The challenge of translating the definition of transition into holistic indicators remains. The current consensus indicators are a good start, but there is more to transition than transfer.