Challenges of Transitional Care for Young Allergy and Asthma Patients From Healthcare Professionals' Perspectives

Evidence-based guidelines for transitional care of adolescents and young adults with allergy and asthma have been published, but shortcomings in the transition process have been identified. This study's aim was to gather deeper insights into healthcare professionals' experiences regarding the challenges of transitional care for adolescents and young adults with allergy and asthma.

Clinically active physicians and registered nurses in Sweden were recruited through a web survey. Qualitative data were obtained through individual interviews (n = 18). The transcribed interview data, serving as the basis for this study, were analysed using systematic text condensation.

Four categories emerged during the analysis process: (1) 'There is no clear structured approach that can be applied to everyone', addressing variations in disease and individual patient needs. (2) 'Relying only on referrals', indicating that no other forms of communication exist. (3) 'Tackling patients' assumptions and verifying their knowledge', referring to discrepancies between patients' expectations of healthcare professionals' knowledge of medical histories and the limited information actually available to healthcare professionals. (4) 'Unprepared patients in a fragmented care chain', implying a need to prepare patients for how healthcare services can differ.

Based on healthcare professionals' experiences, transitional care for patients with allergies and asthma is a complex process marked by numerous challenges. Interventions for improvement should include increased guideline implementation at all levels of healthcare, better communication between healthcare professionals, and continuous patient education, including teaching adolescents and young adults to take responsibility for navigating the healthcare system for care of allergy and asthma.