Transition of patients with inflammatory bowel disease from pediatric to adult care.

AIM: This study was designed to ascertain the perception of patients (and their parents) followed-up for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) concerning the transition from pediatric to adult care.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty-eight youths with IBD who had transited from pediatric to adult care were surveyed. Their age at transition was 17.9+/-0.9 years. Thirty-four patients (71%) had been referred to a gastroenterologist working in the same hospital and, in 27 cases, after having attended a joint pediatric-adult care visit.

RESULTS: The response rate was 71%. Twenty-nine patients (85%) and 25 parents (74%) felt they were ready to transit into adult care. Seven patients (22%) and 10 parents (32%) were apprehensive about transition to adult gastroenterology. All patients considered the joint medical visit beneficial in terms of transmitting information from their medical records and 93% considered it beneficial for building confidence in the new gastroenterologist. All parents considered the joint medical visit helpful for building the children's confidence in their new doctor. At the time of the survey, 29 patients (85%) were continuing to be followed-up by the same gastroenterologist.

CONCLUSION: Effective planning, including a joint medical visit, enabled successful, well-coordinated transition to adult medical-care follow-up.