Transitional Care for Young Adults with Chronic Conditions

Transitional care encompasses the deliberate, coordinated process by which young people with long‐term health conditions move from child‐centred to adult‐oriented services. This period coincides with critical developmental milestones—educational transitions, gaining independence and changing social roles—that can compromise continuity of care. Effective transitional care seeks to preserve treatment adherence, optimise health outcomes and support psychosocial adjustment. Key elements include structured preparation, assessment of transition readiness, involvement of family and caregivers, clear communication between paediatric and adult providers, and individualised planning. Globally, health‐system fragmentation, variable resource availability and differing professional cultures pose challenges to seamless transfer. Nevertheless, pilot programmes and emerging frameworks emphasise patient empowerment, self‐management skill development and establishment of formalised transition pathways. Embedding these features within multidisciplinary teams and leveraging technology for care coordination have shown promise in reducing gaps in follow‐up and mitigating disease flares during young adulthood. By aligning clinical practice with developmental needs, transitional care aims to foster long‐term wellbeing and resource efficiency across diverse health systems.

Research from Nature Portfolio

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Transitional Care for Young Adults with Chronic Conditions publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in transitional care for young adults with chronic conditions across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Transitional care: A planned process that supports adolescents and young adults as they move from paediatric to adult health services.

Chronic condition: A long‐term health disorder requiring ongoing management and often multidisciplinary support.

Transition readiness: The assessment of a young person’s preparedness—skills, knowledge and confidence—to assume responsibility for their own healthcare.

Self‐efficacy: An individual’s belief in their capacity to execute behaviours necessary to manage health challenges and treatment regimens.

References

1. Navigating the transition of care in patients with inborn errors of immunity: a single-center’s descriptive experience. Frontiers in Immunology (2023).
2. Transitions of Care in Patients With Inborn Errors of Immunity. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology In Practice (2024).
3. Development and implementation of a workshop for young adults with diabetes entering college and the workforce. Frontiers in Endocrinology (2023).
4. A longitudinal, observational study of the features of transitional healthcare associated with better outcomes for young people with long-term conditions. BMC Medicine (2018).