title: Young adults' experiences and satisfaction with the transfer of care.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Transition of care of adolescents with chronic conditions is a critical area for clinicians. Patient-reported outcomes may provide important information on the quality of services. This cohort study examines young adults' experiences and satisfaction with the transfer to adult care and explores associations with patient characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Follow-up of 518 young adults (18-25 years) with various chronic conditions who completed a Web-based survey in 2006 (response rate, 52%). Outcome measures were the 18-item On Your Own Feet Transfer Experiences Scale (α = .93) and satisfaction with the transfer process (visual analog scale). Associations with demographic and health care-related variables, health-related quality of life, and self-management were explored with stepwise multivariate modeling, using past (2006-T0) and current (2012-T1) variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the respondents, 315 (65%) had transferred, while 10% was still in pediatric care and 25% was not in treatment anymore. Twenty percent rated their transfer as unsatisfactory, 50% felt prepared at the time of transfer, and 24% had met their adult-centered provider in advance. Men were more positive about their experiences and rated satisfaction higher than did women. Patient-centeredness of the adult health-care provider was the most important determinant for experiences (β = .29). Higher self-efficacy at T1 was associated with more positive experiences but not with higher satisfaction. The latter was higher for those transferred within the same hospital (β = .28).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The On Your Own Feet Transfer Experiences Scale is a useful instrument to measure transfer experiences. The importance young adults attach to good relations with their new provider stresses the necessity of early involvement of and good collaboration with adult care.
authors.affiliation: Research Center Innovations in Care, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Institute of Health Policy and Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: vanstaa@bmg.eur.nl.
authors.forename: AnneLoes
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: van Staa
authors.affiliation: Research Center Innovations in Care, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Institute of Health Policy and Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Sophia Children's Hospital, Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam, Department of Pediatrics, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jane N T
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Sattoe
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Adolescence; Chronic illness; Cohort study; Health care services; Health care survey; Satisfaction; Transfer; Transition; Young adults