Transition of Adolescents with Chronic Neurologic Disorders into Adult Health Care

Abstract

Background: Transition of care from pediatric to adult services is a complex process. Factors influencing the success of health care transition of adolescents with chronic neurological disorders are poorly understood. Methods: Young adults with chronic neurological disorders who had been cared for in an Interdisciplinary Pediatric Center participated in this study. Using the Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire Short-form (PSQ-18) we investigated whether satisfaction of these patients with their medical care in adult services was depending on the severity and complexity of their condition. They were assigned to a group of severely disabled patients (group 1; intellectual disability or learning disability plus motor handicap or degree of disability80, n=11) or a group 2 of patients with milder impairment (N=39). We used descriptive and t-statistics to compare both groups. Results: Patients of group 1 reported slightly lower satisfaction with their present medical care in adult services (M=3.25; 95%-KI=[2.96-3.55]) compared to patients of group 2 (M=3.59; 95%.KI=[3.37-3.81]; p=0.084). Satisfaction with transition was significantly lower in group 1 (M=2.65; 95% KI=[2.29-3.01]) than in group 2 (M=3.11; 95% KI=[2.89-3.33], p=0.045). The difference of mean values of 0.46 reflects a moderate effect size (Hedges g=0.68). Conclusion: Health care transition of adolescent patients with chronic neurological disorders is significantly more successful in patients with minor impairment compared to patients with severe complex neurological conditions.