A Review of Interventions Aimed at Facilitating Successful Transition Planning and Transfer to Adult Care Among Youth with Chronic Illness.

This article reviews studies that developed interventions aimed at facilitating the transition process and/or the transfer of youth with chronic illness to adult programs during the past decade. Three key intervention approaches have been studied. Data assessing the impact of transition coordinators suggest that the most successful outcomes occur when coordinators meet with patients prior to the transfer of care, support them as they negotiate the adult programs, and facilitate appointment keeping. Data assessing the impact of transition clinics suggest that the key to positive outcomes is helping patients develop a trusting relationship with the adult providers before fully transferring their care to the adult clinic. Similar conclusions can be drawn for transition programs, where it appears that the opportunity to discuss and plan transition with a pediatric provider over time and to meet with both the pediatric and adult providers simultaneously are beneficial for facilitating successful transfer to adult care. Although aspects of these care processes appear promising for improving transition success, this review identifies areas that need further study. We argue that studies are needed that examine individual patient and family-focused interventions as well as looking at other potential interventions in the health care system. [Pediatr Ann. 2017;46(5):e182-e187.].