Transitioning to Adult Services for Youth With Medical Complexity: A Practice Issue Viewed Through the Lens of Transitions Theory

As youth with medical complexity transition to adult services, their extensive support networks are disrupted, leaving them vulnerable to care gaps. Within the setting of a pediatric complex care clinic in Ontario, Canada, the authors conducted a needs assessment guided by transitions theory to better understand the movement to adult services for youth and their families. The authors here describe the application of transitions theory and critique the theory’s usefulness for understanding the transition to adult services for youth and their families.