Affiliations: Illinois Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics,
Chicago, IL, USA | Child Health Data Laboratory, Chicago, IL, USA | University of Illinois at Chicago, Specialized Care
for Children, Springfield, IL, USA | Department of Pediatrics, University of Illinois
College of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
Note: [] Corresponding author: Kathy Sanabria, Principal Investigator,
Illinois Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics, 1400 West Hubbard, Suite 100,
Chicago, IL 60642, USA. Tel.: +1 312 733 1026 ext. 208; Fax: +1 312 733 1791;
E-mail: ksanabria@illinoisaap.com
Abstract: PURPOSE: To improve youths' transition to adult healthcare,
especially for youth with disabilities, The Illinois
Transition Care Project created separate, yet complementary, curricula for
pediatric and adult-oriented providers. METHODS: Content from the
curricula was tested by practicing physicians. The project created a library of
skill worksheets with functional goals for patients. All methods included
opportunities to teach life skills to patients to independently manage their
conditions. The curricula used Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Part 4 credit
as an incentive for physician participation. RESULTS: Pediatric pilot
data indicate improvement across all sites and activities. Adult medicine
results indicate increased perceived importance and feasibility of accepting
young adult patients with childhood conditions. Patient/parent reviewers
indicate the tools are understandable, interesting, and effective. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest the curricula, with MOC Part 4 credit for
physicians, are effective in improving transition care. Project results
provided new information on population management for transitioning youth and
on the use of MOC Part 4 credit as an incentive. Findings have implications for
primary care and specialty physicians, team-based care, teaching
self-management skills to patients and methods for engaging adult-oriented
physicians in the transition process.
Keywords: Healthcare transition, complex childhood conditions, condition self-management, functional goals, care coordination, quality improvement, adolescent care, childhood onset, childhood acquired
