Transition for Youth With Chronic Conditions: Primary Care Physicians’ Approaches

Abstract

Since the US Surgeon General’s conference on health care transitions in 1989, transition from pediatric to adult-oriented health care for youth with chronic conditions continues to develop as an important issue among youth, parents, and health professionals. Key professional organizations, public agencies, and disease-specific organizations have promoted research on transition and the development of transition services. Although there is evidence of the advancement of the science and practice of transition in the context of subspecialty medical care, the same may not be true for transition in the context of primary care practice. Little has been written about the role of the primary care provider in facilitating transition, and little is published in the medical literature about how transition occurs in primary care settings.