“I can’t pose a whole heap of questions that I know I don’t have time to follow up”—Exploring perceptions of an adolescent transition program

Abstract

Background Adolescent transition programs are patient education programs. They are geared towards enabling adolescents with chronic or long-term illnesses to become active partners in their health care and manage their own health. Although there is agreement about their importance, there is not an agreement on content or how they should be delivered. The study reported here was part of the first steps of an action research project. Aim Our aim was to explore how health professionals understand the program at our hospital, and their opinions of its implementation. This would advance our knowledge of the practice of the program to support its development. Methods We conducted semi-structured individual interviews with 18 physicians and nurses. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. In our discussion of the generated data, we use the theory of practice architectures as a lens. Results and discussion We generated four themes through the analysis, namely “We are (back) at scratch”, “Time is always an issue”, “Getting them ready for what is to come–transition as a synonym to transfer” and “Raising topics that go beyond medical issues”. Changes to a practice requires changes to the practice architectures. Practice architectures can both enable and constrain a practice. Our analysis suggests a need for a more unified perception of the program goals, the cultural-discursive arrangements. Health professionals see time as a significant barrier to implementation and changes to the material-economic arrangements are particularly called for, i.e., more time, space and staff to practice the program. These also tie into the social-political arrangements of the program. Conclusion There are arrangements in the practice architecture that currently seem to constrain the practice of the program. The practice is currently fragmented both within and across subspecialties. Efforts should be made to establish a more shared understanding of the program among health professionals. Furthermore, we should investigate how the practice of the program can be better supported.