Evaluation of Outcomes in Adolescent Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients Following Transfer From Pediatric to Adult Health Care Services: Case for Transition.

PURPOSE: We aimed to evaluate the impact of a transition service on clinical and developmental outcomes in adolescent Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) patients on transfer to adult health care services.

METHODS: We reviewed the records of IBD patients diagnosed in pediatric care following their transfer/attendance to the adult IBD service. The data on patients who attended the transition service were compared with those who did not pass through the transition service.

RESULTS: Seventy-two patients were included in the study 41M and 31F. Forty-four patients went through the transition system (Group A), and 28 had no formalized transition arrangement before transfer (Group B). A significantly higher number of Group B patients needed surgery within 2 years of transfer when compared with patients in Group A (46% vs. 25%, p = .01). Sixty-one percent of patients in Group B needed at least one admission within 2 years of transfer when compared with 29% of Group A patients (p = .002). Nonattendance at clinics was higher in Group B patients with 78% having at least one nonattendance, whereas 29% of Group A failed to attend at least one appointment (p = .001). In addition, drug compliance rates were higher in the transition group when compared with Group B (89% and 46%, respectively; p = .002). A higher proportion of transitioned patients achieved their estimated maximum growth potential when completing adolescence. There was a trend toward higher dependence on opiates and smoking in Group B patients.

CONCLUSIONS: In adolescent IBD patients, transition care is associated with better disease specific and developmental outcomes. Prospective studies of different models of transition care in IBD are needed.