Barriers to healthcare transition for spina bifida patients: a systematic review

Patients with spina bifida (SB) were historically followed by pediatric providers throughout their entire lives. Through medical and surgical advancements, now more pediatric SB patients are living well into adulthood. Nonetheless, many patients fail to successfully transition to appropriate adult healthcare providers. The goal of this study was to identify factors that helped facilitate or hinder the successful transition of adolescent and young adult (AYA) SB patients to adult providers.

A systematic review was conducted exploring the transition care of SB patients using the PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases. Titles and abstracts from articles identified were read and selected for full-text review. Studies meeting the inclusion criteria were reviewed in full and analyzed for study design, populations, interventions, and factors influencing transition.

The primary search identified 2050 articles, of which 20 were included in the final review. Thirteen studies discussed factors relating to neurosurgical care, 8 referenced gastrointestinal and genitourinary considerations, 11 examined cognitive and psychosocial factors, and 17 explored healthcare system factors. Several barriers were consistently reported regarding communication, patient and parental attitudes and perceptions, and failure to embrace formalized and transparent protocols. Conflicting results were reported regarding the influence medical comorbidities had on a patient's ability to transition.

The process of transitioning AYA SB patients to adult care is complex, involving an interplay of structural and psychosocial factors. The findings in this review suggest that some barriers can be alleviated with improved education, planning, and awareness of factors that influence transition care.