Endocrine Abstracts

Objectives: Transition from paediatric to adult endocrine services is a critical period for young people with chronic conditions, who are vulnerable to loss to follow-up, suboptimal disease management, and long-term health consequences. Despite national recognition of the importance of high-quality transition pathways, data evaluating the transition experience remains limited. This study aims to assess the existing transition process and analyse the feasibility of a newly developed structured transition checklist.

Methods: A prospective evaluation was conducted using a standardised questionnaire administered to young people who had transitioned to adult services within the preceding two years. Outcomes included understanding of the transition pathway, preparedness for self-management, perceived support from paediatric and adult teams, and recommendations for improvement. Findings from this initial cycle informed development of a structured transition checklist and patient information leaflet, guided by validated transition frameworks, Ready Steady Go and the Transition Readiness Assessment Questionnaire.

Results: A total of eight patients were included in the study. Most participants (87.5%) transitioned at age 17, with the remainder at age 16. Nearly two thirds of respondents (62.5%) felt that they had been transitioned too early. Understanding of the transition process was limited, with 75% rating this as 3/5. Preparedness for self-management was suboptimal, with 37.5% rating this as 2/5 and 37.5% as 3/5.Perceived support declined between paediatric and adult services (mean scores 3.75/5 and 2.9/5). Notably, no participants received supportive transition materials, despite 87.5% reporting these would have been beneficial. Overall satisfaction with the transition process was moderate (mean 3.4/5).

Conclusions: Significant gaps persist in transition preparedness, perceived support, and availability of patient-centred resources within endocrine transition pathways. Young people demonstrated strong receptiveness to structured written interventions. The newly developed checklist and patient information leaflet appear feasible for wider implementation, with ongoing work evaluating their long-term impact on patient experience and engagement.