Departure from Pediatric Care: Transitioning of Adolescents with Chronic Pain to Adult Care.

Little is known about specific factors related to chronic pain that need to be considered to support successful transition from pediatric to adult health care settings. This is troubling because 1 in 5 adolescents may experience chronic pain and many will continue to live with pain into adulthood. This paper reviews what is known about successful transition processes for adolescents with various chronic conditions and the unique factors associated with chronic pain and includes a call for further research on transition. Transitioning from the pediatric to the adult health care setting is challenging for adolescents with chronic conditions and their families. Loss to follow-up and negative health outcomes are linked to poor transition processes. Despite studies examining factors associated with successful transition, not all of the findings are transferable to adolescents with chronic pain. We need to support adolescents, young adults, and their parents as they prepare for transition, engage pediatric and adult care providers in care, advocate for system change, and systematically examine the processes that support the successful health care transition of adolescents and young people with chronic pain.