Charting a Path from Pediatric Healthcare to Adult Healthcare
For many youth and their families, the transition from pediatric healthcare to adult care can be very overwhelming.
Three recent initiatives have put the topic of youth transitions at the forefront, both locally and provincially. At ACH, we created the Youth Transition Patient and Family Advisory Council to provide the patient and family voice to these initiatives and other transition-related projects. Transitioning from pediatric to adult healthcare can be a huge shift for families and it's helpful to have real experiences brought to the table during the planning and implementation stages,
comments Sandi Oelhaupl, Council Coordinator.
18 people joined the Council after the introductory meeting on September 26. New members will be welcomed until the group reaches 30, with a 50/50 split of youth and parent members. The Council is co-chaired by one parent and one youth.
The first initiative, the Youth Transition Project, is at ACH and includes the expansion of our Well on Your Way workshops into all of the clinics within the hospital. The goal is to create consistency and to support parents and youth to have the knowledge they need to transition to adult healthcare.
The second initiative, the Youth Transition Navigator Trial, is a medical randomized control trial that is being conducted over the next three years with 600 participants across the Province. The purpose of this trial is to evaluate whether a patient navigator service will be effective in improving patient experience and outcomes, after transfer to adult care. Half of the participants will use a navigator service throughout the trial while the other half will not.
The third initiative, the Youth Transition Provincial Website is a Province-wide website that will be like a one-stop shop for youth and families to access resources and all relevant material during the transition process.