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Transitional care in inflammatory bowel disease
1Division of Digestive Diseases at the University of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA. Jessica-philpott@ouhsc.edu
Insights
Transitional care helps pediatric patients manage chronic conditions like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) as they move to adult healthcare. More research is needed on effective transition programs for adolescents and young adults with IBD.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Healthcare Transition
- Chronic Disease Management
Background:
- Transitional care supports pediatric patients in assuming self-care responsibility and transferring to adult practitioners.
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic condition often diagnosed in childhood, making transitional care crucial for adolescents and young adults.
- Existing recommendations for transitional care lack robust evidence regarding optimal protocols and program efficacy, especially for IBD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the importance of transitional care for pediatric patients with chronic diseases, particularly inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
- To identify current recommendations and knowledge gaps in the implementation and efficacy of transitional care programs for IBD.
- To emphasize the need for future research to determine effective transitional care strategies.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature and guidelines on transitional care for chronic diseases.
- Analysis of the specific challenges and needs of adolescent and young adult IBD patients during healthcare transitions.
- Identification of key components of effective transitional care, including education, early introduction to adult care, and communication.
Main Results:
- Transitional care is recognized as vital for chronic conditions diagnosed in childhood, including IBD.
- There is a significant lack of empirical data on the optimal delivery and effectiveness of transitional care programs for IBD.
- Current guidelines emphasize patient education, early transfer planning, and inter-provider communication.
Conclusions:
- Effective transitional care programs are essential for improving long-term outcomes in young adults with IBD.
- Further research is critically needed to establish evidence-based protocols for transitional care in IBD.
- Elucidating the most effective program models and implementation strategies is a priority for future studies.
Abstract:
Transitional care is an organized effort to provide pediatric patients with the tools and resources they need to assume personal responsibility for their medical care while facilitating their transfer from a pediatrician to an adult practitioner. Since inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is usually chronic and up to 25% of IBD patients are diagnosed before the age of 18 years, transitional care is an important consideration for adolescent and young adult patients. The importance of transitional care for chronic diseases that begin in childhood has been recognized in a number of published recommendations. However, most of these recommendations arise from intuitive reasoning, as physicians lack information regarding the need for transitional care, optimal delivery protocols, and the efficacy of transition programs. Even fewer studies have been published regarding transitional care in IBD. Current guidelines stress the importance of providing patients with educational resources to help them develop the skills they need to manage their care as independent adults, introducing the concept of transfer to adult care in advance of the actual transfer, and developing routes of communication to facilitate the transfer from pediatric to adult care providers. Future studies should aim to elucidate which programs are effective and how they should be implemented.
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