Abstract
Background: Many children with complex health conditions and long-term ventilation (LTV) now survive into adulthood, however, transition pathways for transfer from paediatric to adult LTV services are not well established. At our centre, young people on LTV were referred to adult team, without a formal transition process. Aims: To develop a transition pathway with an aim to provide a high-quality transition service for children on LTV Method: A scoping exercise was done to assess the number of patients between the ages 16-18 and 14-16 years. A transition themed day was organised including adult and paediatric LTV teams to explore ideas and plan the pathway. A letter was sent to families that explained the process and invited them to share queries or suggestions. A transition activity was planned and undertaken every 3 months as an alternate transition clinic and a transition meeting. Patients eligible for transition were discussed in the transition meetings and seen in transition clinics, where adult and paediatric multidisciplinary teams consulted jointly. Patient feedback was requested. A transition passport was prepared to use prospectively for 14-16 year old patients. Results: After implementation of the transition pathway, 11 patients were transitioned in one-year period, all of whom had met the adult team and had been discussed in the transition meetings compared to none in the previous years. Patient feedback was 100% positive. There is a regular communication between the adult and paediatric teams. Conclusion: A formal transition pathway for children with LTV improves communication, delivers better handover of care to adult team and enhances patient satisfaction.
Published Version
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