title: The impact of a managed transition of care upon psychosocial characteristics and patient satisfaction in a cohort of adult survivors of childhood cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Many adult survivors of childhood cancer receive care in paediatric departments, despite national policy to transition their care to adult services. When long-term follow-up care for survivors of childhood cancer in our region moved from a paediatric to an adult environment in 2009, we prospectively assessed the impact of this change on patient satisfaction.
  
  
  METHODS
  Questionnaire data were collected in paediatric and adult clinical environments regarding the level of satisfaction with care and potential mediators: quality of life, psychological health and social difficulties. Predictors of satisfaction and optimum longitudinal risk-based care were described using path analysis and compared with previously described models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no significant difference in satisfaction between the paediatric and adult settings. Short waiting times and increased understanding of the purpose of follow-up were significantly associated with increased satisfaction. Those with a higher perception of health problems and those that were older were more likely to not attend all of their clinic appointments.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Within our service, transition to adult care did not impact significantly upon patient satisfaction. Shorter waits and knowing why participants were attending the clinic increased satisfaction. Joint working between adult and paediatric cancer professionals enabled adult survivors of childhood cancer to receive highly satisfactory care in adult services.
authors: Paediatric Epidemiology Group, Division of Epidemiology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: van Laar
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Glaser
authors: R S
authors: RS
authors: Phillips
authors: R G
authors: RG
authors: Feltbower
authors: D P
authors: DP
authors: Stark
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*; D060305:Transition to Adult Care; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: cancer; follow-up care; oncology; paediatric; survivorship; transition