ACAAI: Youth With Asthma Not Prepared for Transition to Adult Care

Half of young adults surveyed did not remember being introduced to concepts of transitioning care by their pediatric provider
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doctor listening to lungs

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MONDAY, Nov. 8, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Most young adults with asthma report not having received information about transition care to an adult provider, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, held from Nov. 4 to 8 in New Orleans.

Suzanne Ngo, M.D., from the Children's Hospital Colorado in Aurora, and colleagues surveyed participants aged 18 to 30 years who had a diagnosis of asthma about the experience they had with transition planning when they received pediatric care. Two cohorts were assessed: a hospital cohort (HC) comprising 19 participants previously treated at a tertiary care pediatric hospital and a university cohort (UC) comprising 27 participants who were current students or staff of a university system.

The researchers found that participants in the HC received their asthma care from an asthma specialist, while most UC participants received asthma care from a general provider. Of the respondents, half did not recall being introduced to transitioning care concepts, including self-management of asthma, by their pediatric asthma provider; only 17.4 percent reported receiving information about transferring their care to an adult provider. Compared with UC participants, more HC participants had not established care with an adult asthma provider (63.2 versus 18.5 percent). There were no associations observed between current asthma provider and asthma control among the cohorts.

"Teens who are about to go off to college are at an ideal stage to discuss transition issues," a coauthor said in a statement. "They are entering a new era, possibly in a different part of the country, and may be making their own health care decisions for the first time."

Abstract No. P076

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