Teenage turmoil: The transition from pediatric to adult medicine in children with medical complexity (CMC)

Work Type

Poster

Abstract

Health care transition (HCT) is a recognized process of changing patient care from a child and family perspective to an individual adult perspective. This period marks a time of instability in an adolescent’s life and leads to gaps in health care utilization.

For children with medical complexity (CMC), this process can be further complicated by the necessity for specialized treatment, the use of multiple providers, and varying levels of independence.

There is still no unanimously accepted definition of CMC. The literature largely denoted four main categories to describe this population: (a) severe, chronic health conditions, (b) functional limitations, (c) high health care utilization, and (d) considerable needs within the health care system.

This population is especially crucial to focus on because, despite comprising less than 1% of the pediatric population in the United States, CMC represent nearly 40% of health care costs.

In an analysis of the National Survey of Children’s Health, researchers revealed that only 8.1% of CMC had access to resources to aid in a successful transition. There were numerous accounts from families of CMC that shared the process of HCT feels like “falling off a cliff” due to the lack of support and resources available to them.

One professionally recognized resource to aid in HCT is the “Six Core Elements of Health Care Transition” by GotTransition. This organization outlines six key steps in HCT: transition and care policy, tracking and monitoring, transition readiness, transition planning, transfer of care, and completion of transition.

Despite the availability of these resources, the lack of a cohesive system and the uncertainty families face during HCT underscores the need for further investigation in this topic. For this project, the research question is: how can health care providers collaborate with families of children with medical complexity to optimize the transition from pediatric to adult care?

This project has special significance to me because I was a caregiver for a CMC for several years. I have witnessed the struggles her mom faced during HCT and accessing adequate care for her daughter in general.

Publication Date

5-18-2026

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