A Smooth Transition: Assessing Transition Readiness in Adolescents with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is an early onset condition that affects individuals of all ages. Approximately 15%–25% of patients present before the age of 20 years, with peak onset occurring during adolescence.

To evaluate transition readiness among adolescents diagnosed with IBD and identify barriers to transition.

We conducted a cross-sectional study of patients with IBD aged 12–21 years. Patients were stratified by age into three groups: A (12–14 years), B (14–17 years), and C (17 + years). Patients were asked to complete a questionnaire which assessed patient knowledge in three areas of transition: ‘Taking Charge,’ ‘My Health,’ and ‘Using Health Care.’ Fisher's Exact and Chi-Square tests were used to evaluate the associations between age and transition readiness.

A total of 127 participants (68 males and 59 females) with a mean age of 16.14 years were included. Transition readiness increased with age from 60.7% in Group A to 63.2% and 77.9% in Groups B and C, respectively (p < 0.001). Patient confidence and the importance of transition increased with age, with means of 5.51, 6.17, and 6.94 in Groups A, B, and C (p = 0.02). Patient-reported knowledge of their health condition was > 70%, with no statistical differences between the groups (p = 0.65). Patient knowledge regarding ‘Using Health Care’ increased from 52% in Group A to 79% in Group C (p < 0.001). The greatest barriers to transitioning were carrying health information for Group A (100%) and obtaining provider referrals for Groups B (75%) and C (51%).

This study demonstrated that transition readiness increases with age in adolescents with IBD.