Building the Bridge From Pediatric to Adult Neurological Care

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Healthcare Transition
• Patient-Centered Care

Background:

• Pediatric to adult transition care in neurology faces significant unmet needs.
• Optimizing this transition is a priority for patients, families, and healthcare providers.
• There is increasing discussion within the neurology community regarding transition care challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To discuss the current state and identify gaps in pediatric to adult transition care in neurology.
• To introduce the University of Toronto Pediatric-Adult Transition Working Group's initiatives.
• To outline a vision for a national neurology transition strategy.

Main Methods:

• Brief communication discussing the landscape of neurology transition care.
• Introduction of a collaborative working group involving diverse stakeholders.
• Focus on interdivisional, inter-subspeciality collaboration and patient-family engagement.

Main Results:

• Identified current challenges and unmet needs in pediatric to adult neurology transition.
• Established a collaborative working group with a broad range of expertise.
• Initiated efforts towards developing a national neurology transition strategy.

Conclusions:

• Optimizing transition care requires a coordinated, collaborative approach.
• The University of Toronto Working Group's activities represent a step towards a national strategy.
• A national strategy can guide health authority attention and funding for improved transition services.