Transition to Adulthood for Youth With Chronic Conditions and Special Health Care Needs

Abstract

In 2003, the Society for Adolescent Medicine issued a position paper joining the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American College of Physicians in endorsing a national consensus statement regarding successful transition to adult care, for all young people, including youth with special health care needs. This consensus statement was followed by a clinical report in 2011, which was updated in 2018. Since the original publication, the development of professional guidelines, several iterations of U.S.-based national survey data, and a growing global evidence base characterizing the consequences of suboptimal transitions have advanced the field of health care transition substantially. Barriers to and facilitators of successful transition have been described along with a number of social-, economic-, and health care systems-level issues that require coordinated professional advocacy. The goal of this revised position paper is to review the interim developments in health care transition for youth with special health care needs and refine Society of Adolescent Health and Medicine's position to align with the most recent evidence and professional consensus, including the incorporation of insights and recommendations from the latest revised clinical report.