Addressing the unmet needs of transitional care in juvenile idiopathic arthritis

We aimed to comprehensively analyse the available literature to identify the unmet requirements in transitional programs tailored specifically for patients diagnosed with JIA.

According to published guidance on narrative reviews, a systematic review of the literature on transitional care in rheumatology was conducted. Pertinent documents were collected from reputable databases, such as Web of Science, Scopus, and MEDLINE/PubMed. The search encompassed literature published from the inception of each database until January 2023.

In this study, a comprehensive analysis of the findings of 34 studies was conducted. Among these, 12 studies focused on assessing the readiness of adolescents and young adults diagnosed with JIA. Additionally, 18 studies examined the effectiveness of structured transition programs in terms of adherence and satisfaction. Finally, 4 studies investigated disease-related outcomes in this population.

The need for transitioning children with rheumatic diseases to adult rheumatology services for continued care is clearly evident. However, the absence of established best practice guidelines presents a challenge in facilitating this transition effectively. Although several scoring systems have been proposed to ensure organized and seamless transfers, a consensus has not yet been reached. Furthermore, the socio-economic and cultural variations across countries further complicate the development of universal guidelines for transitioning children with rheumatic diseases. To address these concerns, our objective in conducting this literature review was to emphasize the significance of this issue and identify the specific requirements based on the unmet needs in the transition process.