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The transition of care from pediatric to adult providers has drawn increased national attention to the survival of patients with chronic childhood conditions into adulthood.ttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK11432/ While survival outcomes have improved due to advances in care, many of these patients experience gaps in medical care when they move from pediatric to adult healthcare systems, resulting in age-inappropriate and fragmented care in adulthood.4 Many youth with chronic childhood conditions are not prepared to move into adult healthcare, and this lack of transition preparation is associated with poorer health outcomes, including elevated glycosylated hemoglobin and loss of transplanted organs.5-7 National transition efforts have largely focused on the outpatient setting and there remains a paucity of literature on inpatient transitions of care.8,9 Although transition-age patients represent a small percentage of patients at children’s hospitals, they accumulate more hospital days and have higher resource utilization compared to their pediatric cohorts.10 In this issue, Coller et al.11 characterize the current state of pediatric to adult inpatient transitions of care among general pediatric services at US children’s hospitals. Over 50% of children’s hospitals did not have a specific adult-oriented hospital identified to receive transitioning patients. Fewer than half of hospitals (38%) had an explicit inpatient transition policy. Notably only 2% of hospitals could track patient outcomes through transitions; however, 41% had systems in place to address insurance issues. Institutions with combined internal medicine-pediatric (Med-Peds) providers more frequently had inpatient transition initiatives (P = .04). It is clear from Coller et al.11 that the adoption of transition initiatives has been delayed since its introduction at the US Surgeon’s conference in 1989, and much work is needed to bridge this gap.12
Coller et al.11 spearhead establishing standardized transition programs using the multidisciplinary Six Core Elements framework and highlight effective techniques from existing inpatient transition processes.13 While we encourage providers to utilize existing partnerships in the outpatient community to bridge the gap for this at-risk population, shifting to adult care continues to be disorganized in the face of some key barriers including challenges in addressing psychosocial needs, gaps in insurance, and poor care coordination between pediatric and adult healthcare systems.4
We propose several inpatient activities to improve transitions. First, we suggest the development of an inpatient transition or Med-Peds consult service across all hospitals. The Med-Peds consult service would implement the Six Core Elements, including transition readiness, transition planning, and providing insurance and referral resources. A Med-Peds consult service has been well received at our institution as it identifies clear leaders with expertise in transition. Coller et al.11 report only 11% of children’s hospitals surveyed had transition policies that referenced inpatient transitions of care. For those institutions without Med-Peds providers, we recommend establishing a hospital-wide transition policy, and identifying hospitalists trained in transitions, with multidisciplinary approaches to staff their transition consult service.
Tracking and monitoring youth in the inpatient transition process occurred in only 2% of hospitals surveyed. We urge for automatic consults to the transition service for adult aged patients admitted to children’s hospitals. With current electronic health records (EHRs), admission order sets with built-in transition consults for adolescents and young adults would improve the identification and tracking of youths. Assuming care of a pediatric patient with multiple comorbidities can be overwhelming for providers.14 The transition consult service could alleviate some of this anxiety with clear and concise documentation using standardized, readily available transition templates. These templates would summarize the patient’s past medical history and outline current medical problems, necessary subspecialty referrals, insurance status, limitations in activities of daily living, ancillary services (including physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, transportation services), and current level of readiness and independence.
In summary, the transition of care from pediatric to adult providers is a particularly vulnerable time for young adults with chronic medical conditions, and efforts focused on inpatient transitions of medical care have overall been limited. Crucial barriers include addressing psychosocial needs, gaps in insurance, and poor communication between pediatric and adult providers.4 Coller et al.11 have identified several gaps in inpatient transitions of care as well as multiple areas of focus to improve the patient experience. Based on the findings of this study, we urge children’s hospitals caring for adult patients to identify transition leaders, partner with an adult hospital to foster effective transitions, and to protocolize inpatient and outpatient models of transition. Perhaps the most concerning finding of this study was the widespread inability to track transition outcomes. Our group’s experience has led us to believe that coupling an inpatient transition consult team with EHR-based interventions to identify patients and follow outcomes has the most potential to improve inpatient transitions of care from pediatric to adult providers.
Disclosure
The authors have no conflicts of interests or financial disclosures.
1. Elborn JS, Shale DJ, Britton JR. Cystic fibrosis: current survival and population estimates to the year 2000. Thorax. 1991;46(12):881-885.
2. Reid GJ, Webb GD, Barzel M, McCrindle BW, Irvine MJ, Siu SC. Estimates of life expectancy by adolescents and young adults with congenital heart disease. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2006;48(2):349-355. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2006.03.041.
3. Ferris ME, Gipson DS, Kimmel PL, Eggers PW. Trends in treatment and outcomes of survival of adolescents initiating end-stage renal disease care in the United States of America. Pediatr Nephrol. 2006;21(7):1020-1026. doi:10.1007/s00467-006-0059-9.
4. Sharma N, O’Hare K, Antonelli RC, Sawicki GS. Transition care: future directions in education, health policy, and outcomes research. Acad Pediatr. 2014;14(2):120-127. doi:10.1016/j.acap.2013.11.007.
5. Harden PN, Walsh G, Bandler N, et al. Bridging the gap: an integrated paediatric to adult clinical service for young adults with kidney failure. BMJ. 2012;344:e3718. doi:10.1136/bmj.e3718.
6. Watson AR. Non-compliance and transfer from paediatric to adult transplant unit. Pediatr Nephrol. 2000;14(6):469-472.
7. Lotstein DS, Seid M, Klingensmith G, et al. Transition from pediatric to adult care for youth diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in adolescence. Pediatrics. 2013;131(4):e1062-1070. doi:10.1542/peds.2012-1450.
8. Scal P. Transition for youth with chronic conditions: primary care physicians’ approaches. Pediatrics. 2002;110(6 Pt 2):1315-1321.
9. Kelly AM, Kratz B, Bielski M, Rinehart PM. Implementing transitions for youth with complex chronic conditions using the medical home model. Pediatrics. 2002;110(6 Pt 2):1322-1327.
10. Goodman DM, Hall M, Levin A, et al. Adults with chronic health conditions originating in childhood: inpatient experience in children’s hospitals. Pediatrics. 2011;128(1):5-13. doi:10.1542/peds.2010-2037.
11. Coller RJ, Ahrens S, Ehlenbach M, et al. Transitioning from General Pediatric to Adult-Oriented Inpatient Care: National Survey of US Children’s Hospitals. J Hosp Med. 2018;13(1):13-20.
12. Olson D. Health Care Transitions for Young People. In Field MJ, Jette AM, Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Disability in America, editors. The Future of Disability in America. Washington, DC: National Academy Press; 2007. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK11432/.
13. GotTransition.org. http://www.gottransition.org/. Accessed September 15, 2017.
14. Okumura MJ, Kerr EA, Cabana MD, Davis MM, Demonner S, Heisler M. Physician views on barriers to primary care for young adults with childhood-onset chronic disease. Pediatrics. 2010;125(4):e748-754. doi:10.1542/peds.2008-3451.
The transition of care from pediatric to adult providers has drawn increased national attention to the survival of patients with chronic childhood conditions into adulthood.ttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK11432/ While survival outcomes have improved due to advances in care, many of these patients experience gaps in medical care when they move from pediatric to adult healthcare systems, resulting in age-inappropriate and fragmented care in adulthood.4 Many youth with chronic childhood conditions are not prepared to move into adult healthcare, and this lack of transition preparation is associated with poorer health outcomes, including elevated glycosylated hemoglobin and loss of transplanted organs.5-7 National transition efforts have largely focused on the outpatient setting and there remains a paucity of literature on inpatient transitions of care.8,9 Although transition-age patients represent a small percentage of patients at children’s hospitals, they accumulate more hospital days and have higher resource utilization compared to their pediatric cohorts.10 In this issue, Coller et al.11 characterize the current state of pediatric to adult inpatient transitions of care among general pediatric services at US children’s hospitals. Over 50% of children’s hospitals did not have a specific adult-oriented hospital identified to receive transitioning patients. Fewer than half of hospitals (38%) had an explicit inpatient transition policy. Notably only 2% of hospitals could track patient outcomes through transitions; however, 41% had systems in place to address insurance issues. Institutions with combined internal medicine-pediatric (Med-Peds) providers more frequently had inpatient transition initiatives (P = .04). It is clear from Coller et al.11 that the adoption of transition initiatives has been delayed since its introduction at the US Surgeon’s conference in 1989, and much work is needed to bridge this gap.12
Coller et al.11 spearhead establishing standardized transition programs using the multidisciplinary Six Core Elements framework and highlight effective techniques from existing inpatient transition processes.13 While we encourage providers to utilize existing partnerships in the outpatient community to bridge the gap for this at-risk population, shifting to adult care continues to be disorganized in the face of some key barriers including challenges in addressing psychosocial needs, gaps in insurance, and poor care coordination between pediatric and adult healthcare systems.4
We propose several inpatient activities to improve transitions. First, we suggest the development of an inpatient transition or Med-Peds consult service across all hospitals. The Med-Peds consult service would implement the Six Core Elements, including transition readiness, transition planning, and providing insurance and referral resources. A Med-Peds consult service has been well received at our institution as it identifies clear leaders with expertise in transition. Coller et al.11 report only 11% of children’s hospitals surveyed had transition policies that referenced inpatient transitions of care. For those institutions without Med-Peds providers, we recommend establishing a hospital-wide transition policy, and identifying hospitalists trained in transitions, with multidisciplinary approaches to staff their transition consult service.
Tracking and monitoring youth in the inpatient transition process occurred in only 2% of hospitals surveyed. We urge for automatic consults to the transition service for adult aged patients admitted to children’s hospitals. With current electronic health records (EHRs), admission order sets with built-in transition consults for adolescents and young adults would improve the identification and tracking of youths. Assuming care of a pediatric patient with multiple comorbidities can be overwhelming for providers.14 The transition consult service could alleviate some of this anxiety with clear and concise documentation using standardized, readily available transition templates. These templates would summarize the patient’s past medical history and outline current medical problems, necessary subspecialty referrals, insurance status, limitations in activities of daily living, ancillary services (including physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, transportation services), and current level of readiness and independence.
In summary, the transition of care from pediatric to adult providers is a particularly vulnerable time for young adults with chronic medical conditions, and efforts focused on inpatient transitions of medical care have overall been limited. Crucial barriers include addressing psychosocial needs, gaps in insurance, and poor communication between pediatric and adult providers.4 Coller et al.11 have identified several gaps in inpatient transitions of care as well as multiple areas of focus to improve the patient experience. Based on the findings of this study, we urge children’s hospitals caring for adult patients to identify transition leaders, partner with an adult hospital to foster effective transitions, and to protocolize inpatient and outpatient models of transition. Perhaps the most concerning finding of this study was the widespread inability to track transition outcomes. Our group’s experience has led us to believe that coupling an inpatient transition consult team with EHR-based interventions to identify patients and follow outcomes has the most potential to improve inpatient transitions of care from pediatric to adult providers.
Disclosure
The authors have no conflicts of interests or financial disclosures.
The transition of care from pediatric to adult providers has drawn increased national attention to the survival of patients with chronic childhood conditions into adulthood.ttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK11432/ While survival outcomes have improved due to advances in care, many of these patients experience gaps in medical care when they move from pediatric to adult healthcare systems, resulting in age-inappropriate and fragmented care in adulthood.4 Many youth with chronic childhood conditions are not prepared to move into adult healthcare, and this lack of transition preparation is associated with poorer health outcomes, including elevated glycosylated hemoglobin and loss of transplanted organs.5-7 National transition efforts have largely focused on the outpatient setting and there remains a paucity of literature on inpatient transitions of care.8,9 Although transition-age patients represent a small percentage of patients at children’s hospitals, they accumulate more hospital days and have higher resource utilization compared to their pediatric cohorts.10 In this issue, Coller et al.11 characterize the current state of pediatric to adult inpatient transitions of care among general pediatric services at US children’s hospitals. Over 50% of children’s hospitals did not have a specific adult-oriented hospital identified to receive transitioning patients. Fewer than half of hospitals (38%) had an explicit inpatient transition policy. Notably only 2% of hospitals could track patient outcomes through transitions; however, 41% had systems in place to address insurance issues. Institutions with combined internal medicine-pediatric (Med-Peds) providers more frequently had inpatient transition initiatives (P = .04). It is clear from Coller et al.11 that the adoption of transition initiatives has been delayed since its introduction at the US Surgeon’s conference in 1989, and much work is needed to bridge this gap.12
Coller et al.11 spearhead establishing standardized transition programs using the multidisciplinary Six Core Elements framework and highlight effective techniques from existing inpatient transition processes.13 While we encourage providers to utilize existing partnerships in the outpatient community to bridge the gap for this at-risk population, shifting to adult care continues to be disorganized in the face of some key barriers including challenges in addressing psychosocial needs, gaps in insurance, and poor care coordination between pediatric and adult healthcare systems.4
We propose several inpatient activities to improve transitions. First, we suggest the development of an inpatient transition or Med-Peds consult service across all hospitals. The Med-Peds consult service would implement the Six Core Elements, including transition readiness, transition planning, and providing insurance and referral resources. A Med-Peds consult service has been well received at our institution as it identifies clear leaders with expertise in transition. Coller et al.11 report only 11% of children’s hospitals surveyed had transition policies that referenced inpatient transitions of care. For those institutions without Med-Peds providers, we recommend establishing a hospital-wide transition policy, and identifying hospitalists trained in transitions, with multidisciplinary approaches to staff their transition consult service.
Tracking and monitoring youth in the inpatient transition process occurred in only 2% of hospitals surveyed. We urge for automatic consults to the transition service for adult aged patients admitted to children’s hospitals. With current electronic health records (EHRs), admission order sets with built-in transition consults for adolescents and young adults would improve the identification and tracking of youths. Assuming care of a pediatric patient with multiple comorbidities can be overwhelming for providers.14 The transition consult service could alleviate some of this anxiety with clear and concise documentation using standardized, readily available transition templates. These templates would summarize the patient’s past medical history and outline current medical problems, necessary subspecialty referrals, insurance status, limitations in activities of daily living, ancillary services (including physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, transportation services), and current level of readiness and independence.
In summary, the transition of care from pediatric to adult providers is a particularly vulnerable time for young adults with chronic medical conditions, and efforts focused on inpatient transitions of medical care have overall been limited. Crucial barriers include addressing psychosocial needs, gaps in insurance, and poor communication between pediatric and adult providers.4 Coller et al.11 have identified several gaps in inpatient transitions of care as well as multiple areas of focus to improve the patient experience. Based on the findings of this study, we urge children’s hospitals caring for adult patients to identify transition leaders, partner with an adult hospital to foster effective transitions, and to protocolize inpatient and outpatient models of transition. Perhaps the most concerning finding of this study was the widespread inability to track transition outcomes. Our group’s experience has led us to believe that coupling an inpatient transition consult team with EHR-based interventions to identify patients and follow outcomes has the most potential to improve inpatient transitions of care from pediatric to adult providers.
Disclosure
The authors have no conflicts of interests or financial disclosures.
1. Elborn JS, Shale DJ, Britton JR. Cystic fibrosis: current survival and population estimates to the year 2000. Thorax. 1991;46(12):881-885.
2. Reid GJ, Webb GD, Barzel M, McCrindle BW, Irvine MJ, Siu SC. Estimates of life expectancy by adolescents and young adults with congenital heart disease. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2006;48(2):349-355. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2006.03.041.
3. Ferris ME, Gipson DS, Kimmel PL, Eggers PW. Trends in treatment and outcomes of survival of adolescents initiating end-stage renal disease care in the United States of America. Pediatr Nephrol. 2006;21(7):1020-1026. doi:10.1007/s00467-006-0059-9.
4. Sharma N, O’Hare K, Antonelli RC, Sawicki GS. Transition care: future directions in education, health policy, and outcomes research. Acad Pediatr. 2014;14(2):120-127. doi:10.1016/j.acap.2013.11.007.
5. Harden PN, Walsh G, Bandler N, et al. Bridging the gap: an integrated paediatric to adult clinical service for young adults with kidney failure. BMJ. 2012;344:e3718. doi:10.1136/bmj.e3718.
6. Watson AR. Non-compliance and transfer from paediatric to adult transplant unit. Pediatr Nephrol. 2000;14(6):469-472.
7. Lotstein DS, Seid M, Klingensmith G, et al. Transition from pediatric to adult care for youth diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in adolescence. Pediatrics. 2013;131(4):e1062-1070. doi:10.1542/peds.2012-1450.
8. Scal P. Transition for youth with chronic conditions: primary care physicians’ approaches. Pediatrics. 2002;110(6 Pt 2):1315-1321.
9. Kelly AM, Kratz B, Bielski M, Rinehart PM. Implementing transitions for youth with complex chronic conditions using the medical home model. Pediatrics. 2002;110(6 Pt 2):1322-1327.
10. Goodman DM, Hall M, Levin A, et al. Adults with chronic health conditions originating in childhood: inpatient experience in children’s hospitals. Pediatrics. 2011;128(1):5-13. doi:10.1542/peds.2010-2037.
11. Coller RJ, Ahrens S, Ehlenbach M, et al. Transitioning from General Pediatric to Adult-Oriented Inpatient Care: National Survey of US Children’s Hospitals. J Hosp Med. 2018;13(1):13-20.
12. Olson D. Health Care Transitions for Young People. In Field MJ, Jette AM, Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Disability in America, editors. The Future of Disability in America. Washington, DC: National Academy Press; 2007. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK11432/.
13. GotTransition.org. http://www.gottransition.org/. Accessed September 15, 2017.
14. Okumura MJ, Kerr EA, Cabana MD, Davis MM, Demonner S, Heisler M. Physician views on barriers to primary care for young adults with childhood-onset chronic disease. Pediatrics. 2010;125(4):e748-754. doi:10.1542/peds.2008-3451.
1. Elborn JS, Shale DJ, Britton JR. Cystic fibrosis: current survival and population estimates to the year 2000. Thorax. 1991;46(12):881-885.
2. Reid GJ, Webb GD, Barzel M, McCrindle BW, Irvine MJ, Siu SC. Estimates of life expectancy by adolescents and young adults with congenital heart disease. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2006;48(2):349-355. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2006.03.041.
3. Ferris ME, Gipson DS, Kimmel PL, Eggers PW. Trends in treatment and outcomes of survival of adolescents initiating end-stage renal disease care in the United States of America. Pediatr Nephrol. 2006;21(7):1020-1026. doi:10.1007/s00467-006-0059-9.
4. Sharma N, O’Hare K, Antonelli RC, Sawicki GS. Transition care: future directions in education, health policy, and outcomes research. Acad Pediatr. 2014;14(2):120-127. doi:10.1016/j.acap.2013.11.007.
5. Harden PN, Walsh G, Bandler N, et al. Bridging the gap: an integrated paediatric to adult clinical service for young adults with kidney failure. BMJ. 2012;344:e3718. doi:10.1136/bmj.e3718.
6. Watson AR. Non-compliance and transfer from paediatric to adult transplant unit. Pediatr Nephrol. 2000;14(6):469-472.
7. Lotstein DS, Seid M, Klingensmith G, et al. Transition from pediatric to adult care for youth diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in adolescence. Pediatrics. 2013;131(4):e1062-1070. doi:10.1542/peds.2012-1450.
8. Scal P. Transition for youth with chronic conditions: primary care physicians’ approaches. Pediatrics. 2002;110(6 Pt 2):1315-1321.
9. Kelly AM, Kratz B, Bielski M, Rinehart PM. Implementing transitions for youth with complex chronic conditions using the medical home model. Pediatrics. 2002;110(6 Pt 2):1322-1327.
10. Goodman DM, Hall M, Levin A, et al. Adults with chronic health conditions originating in childhood: inpatient experience in children’s hospitals. Pediatrics. 2011;128(1):5-13. doi:10.1542/peds.2010-2037.
11. Coller RJ, Ahrens S, Ehlenbach M, et al. Transitioning from General Pediatric to Adult-Oriented Inpatient Care: National Survey of US Children’s Hospitals. J Hosp Med. 2018;13(1):13-20.
12. Olson D. Health Care Transitions for Young People. In Field MJ, Jette AM, Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Disability in America, editors. The Future of Disability in America. Washington, DC: National Academy Press; 2007. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK11432/.
13. GotTransition.org. http://www.gottransition.org/. Accessed September 15, 2017.
14. Okumura MJ, Kerr EA, Cabana MD, Davis MM, Demonner S, Heisler M. Physician views on barriers to primary care for young adults with childhood-onset chronic disease. Pediatrics. 2010;125(4):e748-754. doi:10.1542/peds.2008-3451.
© 2018 Society of Hospital Medicine