Predictors of Care Gaps in Adolescents With Complex Chronic Condition Transitioning to Adulthood

Breaks in the delivery of health care (ie, [health]care gaps) occur in a large proportion of young people transitioning to adulthood. Developing interventions that prevent adolescents from dropping out of the medical system, as they leave pediatric care, requires an understanding of determinants of care gaps.

To ascertain determinants of care gaps in young people with chronic conditions as they transition to adulthood by performing a systematic literature search.

MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Embase were queried for pertinent peer-reviewed publications.

Primary quantitative or mixed methods studies that aimed to identify determinants of care gaps in young people (aged 10-25 years) diagnosed with complex chronic conditions and written in English, French, or Dutch were selected. Ten publications satisfied these criteria.

For each publication, determinants of care gaps and quantitative results were extracted. Determinants were categorized into 4 groups using thematic analysis. Quantitative results were standardized, and raw data were converted into odds ratios.

Overall, 11 risk factors and 9 protective factors for care gaps were identified. All factors were related to patient characteristics. Demographics, disease-related characteristics, health care services use, and patient health behaviors and beliefs were significant determinants of care gaps in adolescents with chronic conditions.

Large variability in study methods, statistical techniques, and study populations resulted in inconsistent study findings.

This systematic review identified patient-related determinants of care gaps. Unfortunately, the internal and external validity of the study findings are limited, warranting future prospective, multilevel studies that address remaining knowledge gaps.