Transitioning from Adolescent to Adult Providers: Bridging the Gap in Pediatric Heart Transplant Care Through the Deevelopment of a Transition Program

Cardiac transplantation has become an acceptable treatment modality for children with end stage heart failure and inoperable congenital heart disease. Survival in this population has increased significantly in the last two decades. These children and adolescents are becoming young adults and need to be transferred to adult providers. The literature along with anecdotal experience shows that many of these patients do not successfully transfer to adult providers. Medication adherence, appointment attendance, and disease knowledge are all significant problems that arise upon transfer. Transition is an active process that should meet the needs of adolescents as they move from pediatric to adult focused health care. Transition programs have been successfully implemented in other childhood chronic illnesses, such as, Cystic Fibrosis, Sickle Cell Anemia, and Diabetes. Despite an exhaustive search, this author has been unable to locate published literature concerning development or implementation of transition programs in adolescents who have received a heart transplant. Many issues in this population are similar to other chronic illnesses, but medication non adherence in the transplant population will lead to death. The goal of this project is to develop a sustainable and coordinated evidence based transition program to successfully move adolescent heart transplant recipients to adult care providers.