A seamless transition to adult healthcare for young people with long-term conditions - The Swedish Transition Network

Young people with long-term conditions need to be transferred from pediatric to adult healthcare to ensure continuous medical follow-up and health throughout their lives.

Transition programs have been developed to empower young people to take charge of their health and care as they transition into adulthood.

These programs have the potential to reduce the risk of complications and positively impact overall health and quality of life. Internationally, the interest in this research field has increased in the past decade.

In Sweden, transition programs have been evaluated through several research projects that combine various methodologies and have involved different healthcare settings.

Considering the ongoing developments in this field, as well as the strong interest from healthcare providers and the research community, the need for a national research network for transitional care in Sweden has become evident.

The purpose of the research network is to strengthen research in this area, coordinate research initiatives, and implement research findings in the surrounding community.

The network will not only work closely with researchers, but will include the target groups, i.e., young people with long-term conditions, their parents, healthcare professionals and representatives from interest and patient organizations, in the planned activities.

This close collaboration  will ensure implementation strategies and future research projects are aligned with the needs of the population.

The steering committee (i.e. the researchers in this application) come from several Swedish universities and colleges, with different educational backgrounds and at different stages in their academic and research career. All members are involved in ongoing and planned research projects related to transitional care.