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Transition of children with inflammatory bowel disease: big task, little evidence
1Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Stollery Children's Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, University of Alberta, Alberta T6G 2J3, Canada. elmatary@ualberta.ca
Insights
Transitioning pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) to adult care is crucial but lacks research. This review examines the complexities and evidence surrounding IBD care transition.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Healthcare Transition Research
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Management
Background:
- Adolescents and young adults with chronic conditions require a planned transition from pediatric to adult healthcare systems.
- Effective transition of care is vital for long-term health outcomes but is often complex and poorly researched.
- Specific challenges exist in the transition of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients due to a lack of dedicated research and standardized protocols.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the available evidence on the transition of care for pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
- To highlight the complexities and inconsistencies in current transition practices for IBD patients.
- To underscore the need for further research and standardized approaches in IBD care transition.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of existing studies and evidence on healthcare transition for pediatric IBD patients.
- Analysis of variations in transition age and practices across different healthcare settings and regions.
- Discussion of factors influencing transition decisions beyond patient welfare.
Main Results:
- There is a significant deficiency in research specifically addressing the transition of pediatric IBD patients to adult care.
- Practices and age of transition vary considerably among different centers, countries, and even within regions.
- Factors such as local politics can influence transition timing, often overshadowing patient-centered considerations.
Conclusions:
- The transition of care for pediatric IBD patients is a critical but under-researched area requiring urgent attention.
- Standardized, evidence-based guidelines are needed to ensure a smooth and effective transition process for these individuals.
- Further research is essential to address the current gaps in knowledge and improve transition outcomes for young adults with IBD.
Abstract:
Children with chronic long-term disorders need to move to the adult practice at some point in their life. Establishing a smooth and efficient transition process is a complicated task. Transition of medical care to adult practice is defined as the purposeful planned movement of adolescents and young adults with chronic physical and medical conditions from child-centered to adult-oriented health care systems. This step is of the utmost importance for several reasons. There is an obvious deficiency of research in this area especially when it comes to pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). There is a considerable difference in individual practice among different centers. Also, age of transition varies among different countries and sometimes, even within the same country, transition age may vary among different provinces and districts! Interestingly, local politics and many factors other than children's welfare often play a role in deciding the age that older children move to adult practice at. This review discusses transition of children with IBD in view of the available evidence.
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