What is Pediatric to adult care transition?
With modern medicine, more young people with complex or chronic health conditions are living well into adulthood. This means they’ll eventually move from pediatric to adult healthcare — a period known as transition.
Transition isn’t just a change in doctors. It’s a purposeful, planned process that helps teens and young adults build the skills, knowledge, and confidence to manage their health as they enter adulthood. Done well, it ensures a smooth, safe, and supportive handover to adult services.
Transition Vs Transfer
Why this study matters?
This period can be a vulnerable time for patients and their families.
Without timely and coordinated planning, studies show there can be gaps in care — leading to unnecessary stress, missed treatments, and, in some cases, poorer health outcomes.
Transition: A dynamic, structured process that addresses medical, psychosocial, and educational/vocational needs. It involves planning, preparation, and collaboration between patients, families, and skilled healthcare teams to ensure continuity of care.
Transfer: The physical move from one healthcare setting to another — just one step within the larger transition process.
Our Role
Our study focuses on how to make this transition easier for young people and their caregivers, ensuring they have the right support at the right time.
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This study has been approved by the University of Alberta Health
Research Ethics Board (Pro00142435).