title: Evaluation of readiness to transfer to adult healthcare: What about the well adolescent?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Understanding readiness to transfer from pediatric to adult healthcare is important for all youth; however, research and implementation guidelines in this area have emphasized youth seen in pediatric subspecialty settings. The purpose of this study was to develop an approach for evaluating transition readiness in a primary care setting, collect pilot data that examined the transition readiness of teens in that program, and implement assessments as part of clinical care.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty boys and girls aged 12-22 were recruited from an adolescent medicine outpatient program in a large children's hospital. The first 10 adolescents provided responses to questions and participated in cognitive interviewing. Questions changed minimally and responses from all 40 participants were combined. After the study visit, a researcher compared participant responses to electronic medical records and coded responses for accuracy. The survey consisted of 41 transition readiness items from previously published measures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The research team was able to develop a tool to assess transition readiness within a clinical setting. When administered to participants from that program, participants demonstrated poor transition readiness. Modifications were made based on participant feedback and implementation in the clinical setting. Clinicians were successful with administering transition readiness assessments.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It appears that even in youth who are generally well, transition readiness is low. Transition readiness assessments can be implemented in the primary care setting, and have been useful for guiding clinical care. Additional barriers and next steps will be discussed.
authors.affiliation: Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States; College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, United States. Electronic address: sarah.beal@cchmc.org.
authors.forename: Sarah J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Beal
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, United States; Division of Adolescent and Transition Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States. Electronic address: abigail.nye@cchmc.org.
authors.forename: Abigail
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nye
authors.affiliation: Division of Adolescent and Transition Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States. Electronic address: anne.marraccini@cchmc.org.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marraccini
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, United States; Division of Adolescent and Transition Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States. Electronic address: frank.biro@cchmc.org.
authors.forename: Frank M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Biro
keywords: Adolescent medicine; Self efficacy; Transition medicine; Transition readiness; Transition to adult care