BMJ  2006;332:435-436 (25 February), doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7539.435

Editorial

Lost in transition? Between paediatric and adult services

It's time to improve the transition of adolescents from paediatric to adult services

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Preventing adolescents becoming lost in the transfer between paediatric and adult health services is a major challenge for healthcare providers, paediatric and adult alike. Until recently British health services have largely ignored adolescents.¹ But as increasing numbers of young people are surviving into adulthood with illnesses they developed in childhood, the need for transitional care appropriate to their age and development is becoming more obvious and acute.² Adolescence is also a time when adult behaviours become established and therefore represents a window of opportunity to promote healthy behaviour and influence the public health burden of tomorrow's adults.¹

Transitional care is a multidimensional, multidisciplinary process that addresses not only the medical needs of adolescents as they move from children's services to adult services but also their psychosocial, educational, and vocational needs. The need for such services has been shown by many surveys of young people with various chronic conditions and . . . [Full text of this article]

Institute of Child Health, University of Birmingham at Birmingham Children's Hospital, Birmingham B4 6NH
(j.e.mcdonagh@bham.ac.uk)

University College Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital, London

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    StumbleUpon    Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Articles

GPs provide valuable continuity during age transition

Eleanore A Simm, Michael Brown, and Brian McKinstry
BMJ 2006 332: 669. [Extract] [Full Text]

The importance of being naked from the elbow down

Ian A Laing
BMJ 2006 332: 669. [Extract] [Full Text]

Young people's health: the need for action

Russell M Viner and Maggie Barker
BMJ 2005 330: 901-903. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Eshelman-Kent, D., Gilger, E., Gallagher, M. (2009). Transitioning Survivors of Central Nervous System Tumors: Challenges for Patients, Families, and Health Care Providers. Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing 26: 280-294 [Abstract]  
• Burke, R., Spoerri, M., Price, A., Cardosi, A.-M., Flanagan, P. (2008). Survey of Primary Care Pediatricians on the Transition and Transfer of Adolescents to Adult Health Care. CLIN PEDIATR 47: 347-354 [Abstract]  
• Viner, R. M (2008). Transition of care from paediatric to adult services: one part of improved health services for adolescents. Arch. Dis. Child. 93: 160-163 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Bolton-Maggs, P. H B (2007). Transition of care from paediatric to adult services in haematology. Arch. Dis. Child. 92: 797-801 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Bell, L. (2007). Adolescents with renal disease in an adult world: meeting the challenge of transition of care. Nephrol Dial Transplant 22: 988-991 [Full text]  
• Lee, P J, Cook, P (2006). Frequency of metabolic disorders: more than one needle in the haystack. Arch. Dis. Child. 91: 879-880 [Full text]  
• Simm, E. A, Brown, M., McKinstry, B. (2006). GPs provide valuable continuity during age transition.. BMJ 332: 669-669 [Full text]  

Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

Primary care not mentioned (again)

john sharvill
bmj.com, 27 Feb 2006 [Full text]

General Practice provides valuable continuity during transition

Eleanore A Simm, et al.
bmj.com, 3 Mar 2006 [Full text]

Online poll

Find out more >>