Lost in Transition? Supporting adolescents in the transition to adult care

Medicine & Science On the occasion of Rare Disease Day on 28 February 2023, the University Hospital Vienna is drawing attention to a joint project of the European University Hospital Alliance (EUHA). As part of the Rare Diseases Network, the Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at University Hospital Vienna and MedUni Vienna is currently working with experts from Europe's leading university hospitals on recommendations for how children and adolescents with chronic, usually complex rare diseases can be best prepared and supported for the transition to adult care. "The transition from paediatric care to adult care is often very challenging for young patients with chronic diseases. The patients are used to a family setting in paediatrics and adolescent medicine, where the parents are significantly involved in the examinations and treatments. The young people rely on the family and the multidisciplinary team at the hospital," explains Susanne Greber-Platzer, Head of the Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at University Hospital Vienna and MedUni Vienna and a member of the European University Hospital Alliance (EUHA) network for rare diseases. In order for the smooth transition from paediatrics into adulthood once the child is of legal age, a longer preparation phase is required, which should begin as early as childhood. For example, children should understand their own disease from the start and recognise symptoms in connection with the underlying condition.