title: Transitioning adolescents and young adults with a chronic health condition to adult healthcare - an exemplar program.
abstract: Pediatric specialists have successfully improved the longevity and quality of life of many children with chronic health conditions. As these children reach adolescence and young adulthood, the scope of their concomitant medical problems often include those typically seen in older patients. As a result, these individuals need continuing quality health care in focused adult healthcare facilities. This article describes the effective partnership between pediatric and adult healthcare providers to create and implement an exemplar Spina Bifida Transition Program. The processes, strategies and tools discussed are likely to be useful to other healthcare professionals interested in developing pediatric to adult transition programs for adolescents and young adults with chronic health conditions.
authors.affiliation: Spina Bifida Research, Project, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA. krauen@chw.org
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kaufmann Rauen
authors.forename: Kathleen J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Sawin
authors.forename: Tera
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bartelt
authors.forename: William P
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Waring
authors.forename: Merle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Orr
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Corey O'Connor
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017146:Models, Organizational; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D019145:Rehabilitation Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016135:Spinal Dysraphism / Q000451:nursing* / Q000628:therapy*; D055815:Young Adult