Health Care Transitions Consensus Meeting funded by HRSA/MCHB, Wingspread, (9/01)

A Consensus Statement on Health Care Transitions for Young Adults with Special Health Care Needs, [Pediatrics, November 2002, Supplement]
pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/110/6/S1/1304.pdf

AAP News Brief –
"A Consensus Statement on Health Care Transitions for Young Adults With Special Health Care Needs", the AAP, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American College of Physicians - American Society of Internal Medicine call on all physicians to understand the rationale for transition from child-oriented to adult-oriented health care; to have the knowledge and skills to facilitate that process; and to know if, how and when transfer of care is indicated.

As technology allows more children born with chronic and disabling conditions to reach adulthood, these children deserve care that is high quality, developmentally appropriate and uninterrupted as they move from adolescence into adulthood. In September, 2001 the AAP coordinated an invitational meeting of nationally respected physicians, researchers, family leaders and federal officials at Wingspread to discuss and develop a policy on the transition of health care for youth with special health care needs. The goal for all young people is to optimize their ability to assume adult roles and functioning. One critical element for young people with special health care needs is a well-timed transition from a child oriented to an adult oriented system of care. For many this will mean a transfer from a child to an adult health care provider; for many others it will involve an on-going relationship with the same provider but with a re-orientation of clinical interactions to mirror the young person’s increasing maturity and emerging adulthood. The supplement also includes a series of commissioned papers on various aspects of healthcare transitions for young adults with special needs.