Abstract

The special health care needs of adolescents and young adults with chronic diseases and the inadequate state of services for them have been on the agenda for almost 30 years. But still too many young people, including those with inflmmatory rheumatic diseases, do not receive the care they expect and need. In fact, approximately half of young people are not satisfied with the experienced mode of transition. One in two wishes a better preparation for adult health care. For one third the transfer to adult care comes too early, unplanned or abruptly. Up to half of young people with rheumatic diseases do not make a successful transfer to adult rheumatology and are therefore at particular risk of unfavorable outcome. In response to this, there have been a number of guidelines and activities across Europe seeking to reduce the risks associated with moving to adult services and to implement developmentally focused adolescent care as normal part of a health-care plan.

This lecture will describe European initiatives, which aim at improving health care transition services, such as specific and generic transition care programmes or checklists, education programmes, recommended frameworks and pathways to implement and assess transition programmes.