Transition of Care for Adults with Congenital Urological Conditions

Abstract

Patients with congenital urologic conditions require complex chronic care from birth to adulthood. Early in life, these patients may establish close relationships with their specialized pediatric providers and commonly undergo complex reconstructive procedures. When these patients approach adulthood, they are faced with an informal transition to an adult urologist and may become lost to follow-up. Goals of care during this transition period must be identified and addressed by these patients’ future providers. The concept of transition care is now emerging in urology. We propose that the most effective model for successful transfer of care involves joint involvement from pediatric and adult providers in the same setting.