Due to advances in medicine, more children with complex chronic conditions are living longer requiring them to transition into adult health services. The health care transition process can be inconsistent due to inadequate planning, poor service coordination or absent because of a lack of resources, and gaps in professional experience, education and training. This process is further complicated by the physical and psychosocial changes associated with adolescence. Such changes result in challenges with treatment and disengagement with care. For adolescent populations with a specific disease i.e. diabetes, focused transition programs exist that involve primary and specialist providers with expertise. However, in those with comorbidities transition programs are limited or absent resulting in young adults with complex chronic conditions leaving pediatric specialty services without a coordinated approach to their care. In conjunction with specialist provider changes there is little information available to guide primary care providers as to how to coordinate care for these young adults during this critical time of change. The purpose of this capstone is to identify strategies that primary care providers can use to enhance the transition process for young adults with complex chronic conditions exiting out of pediatric services. Twelve articles were analyzed utilizing Whittemore and Knafl's (2005) approach to the integrative literature review. Results suggest that the transition process for this population are multifaceted, but are largely affected by a fragmented health system that impedes communication and coordination of care. Primary care providers are encouraged to be aware of the impact these factors have on the quality of care and health outcomes of their clients. Further, recommendations for enhancing the transition process are discussed, and strategies for the primary care setting are presented.
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