title: Support from healthcare services during transition to adulthood - Experiences of young adult survivors of pediatric cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Improved survival rates of pediatric cancer have drawn attention on how to best facilitate long-term follow up and transition from pediatric to adult care. The transition process is multifactorial and necessitates the joint involvement of the patient, the family and the healthcare providers. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of support from healthcare services during the transition from adolescence to adulthood described by young adult survivors of pediatric cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  A mixed method with a convergent parallel design was used to evaluate the experiences of receiving support from healthcare services (eg pediatric oncology and pediatric clinic) during transition from adolescence to adulthood described by young adult survivors of pediatric cancer (n = 213) in a nation wide cross-sectional survey.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A quantitative assessment of the experienced extent and satisfaction of support from healthcare services to handle physical, mental and social changes to continue life after the disease showed that a majority of the participants had received insufficient support. The qualitative analysis indicated a need for equal roles in healthcare to promote participation, a need to manage and process consequences of the disease, and a need for continuous support.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  During transition to adulthood, there's a need for a personalized care plan that takes a holistic approach towards supporting the young cancer survivor in managing life in the best way. Identifying and handling the individual needs of pediatric cancer survivors is important for providing the resources and support required to increase the likelihood of successful transition to adulthood.
authors.affiliation: School of Health and Welfare, Halmstad University, Halmstad, Sweden.
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Svedberg
authors.affiliation: School of Health and Welfare, Halmstad University, Halmstad, Sweden; School of Health Sciences, Jönköping University, Jönköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Eva-Lena
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Einberg
authors.affiliation: School of Information Technology, Halmstad University, Halmstad, Sweden.
authors.forename: Pontus
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wärnestål
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Jennie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stigmar
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Castor
authors.affiliation: School of Health Sciences, Jönköping University, Jönköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Enskär
authors.affiliation: School of Health and Welfare, Halmstad University, Halmstad, Sweden. Electronic address: jens.nygren@hh.se.
authors.forename: Jens M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Nygren
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D013548:Sweden; D060305:Transition to Adult Care; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cancer; Experience; Pediatric; Survivor; Transition