Transition bei Jugendlichen mit CED

Be on TRAQ – Cross-cultural adaptation of the Transition Readiness Assessment Questionnaire (TRAQ 5.0) and pilot testing of the German Version (TRAQ-GV-15)

Objective

Transfer from pediatric care into the adult health care system is known to be a vulnerable phase in the lives of youth with special health care needs (YSHCN). Recommendations from the literature favor assessment of transition readiness rather than simply pass over YSHCN from pediatric to adult-centered care by the age of 18. Nevertheless, no validated and disease neutral assessment instrument in German exists to date. Hence, our aim was to cross-culturally adapt and to pilot-test a German version of the Transition Readiness Assessment Questionnaire (TRAQ 5.0). We wanted to provide a tool that can be applied broadly during the health care transition (HCT) process of YSHCN.

Methods

The development included translating and adapting TRAQ 5.0 to German and conducting a pilot-study with 172 YSHCN between the ages of 14 and 23.

Results

Cross-cultural adaptation resulted in the TRAQ-GV-15. Exploratory factor analysis led to a 3 factor-structure. Internal consistency for the overall score was good with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.82. Age, in contrast to sex, had a significant effect on the TRAQ scoring. The administration of the TRAQ-GV-15 was well received and demonstrated good feasibility.

Conclusion

The TRAQ-GV-15 is an easily applicable and clinically usable instrument for assessing transition readiness in German speaking YSHCN prior to HCT.

A need-adapted transition program after pediatric kidney transplantation

A successful transition of renal transplant recipients from pediatric to adult care requires a structured, need-adapted and multidisciplinary approach to preserve renal graft function during this critical period of life. In this article we present our clinical protocol for transition from pediatric to adult care, which we developed on the basis of the International Society of Nephrology (ISN)/International Pediatric Nephrology Association (IPNA) consensus guidelines influenced by our own experience. This transition program was established in our center in July 2017. The entire transition process is structured and accompanied by a transition key worker (social worker). From 12 years of age we train pediatric renal transplant recipients in medical knowledge, self-management skills and networking with self-help groups. The training is adapted to the individual patient‘s intellectual ability, lasts about 10 years and takes place with increasing intensity. Repeatedly we perform standardized informational interviews and check patient’s knowledge of transplant-related topics. Psychosocial and educational issues are evaluated concomitantly. The actual transfer takes place in a pediatric-adult-transition clinic. Relevant medical and psychosocial aspects are discussed and the future treatment regimen is established. The date of transfer is adapted to the individual patient’s need; it varies between 18 and 24 years of age. In periods of increased risk for non-adherence the transfer is postponed to intensify the efforts for training and assistance. After transfer a standardized evaluation of each individual patient takes place focusing on medical and psychosocial issues and on satisfaction with the transition process. Collection of these data is still in progress and will be analyzed systematically at a later stage in order to evaluate the impact of this new transition program on the stability of transplant function. That analysis might serve as a basis for negotiations about refunding with health insurance companies.

Measuring satisfaction with health care in young persons with inflammatory bowel disease--an instrument development and validation study

Background

Patient satisfaction is a relevant prognostic factor in young persons with chronic disease and may be both age and disease specific. To assess health care quality from the patient’s view in young persons with inflammatory bowel disease, an easy to use, valid, reliable and informative specific instrument was needed.

Methods

All parts of the study were directed at persons with inflammatory bowel disease aged 15 to 24 (“youth”). A qualitative internet patient survey was used to generate items, complemented by a physician survey and literature search. A 2nd internet survey served to reduce items based on perceived importance and representativeness. Following pilot testing to assess ease of use and face validity, 150 respondents to a postal survey in patients from a paediatric clinical registry were included for validation analyses. Construct validity was assessed by relating summary scores to results from global questions on satisfaction with care using ANOVA. To assess test-retest reliability using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), a subset of patients were assessed twice within 3 months.

Results

302 persons with IBD and 55 physicians participated in the item generating internet survey, resulting in 3,954 statements. After discarding redundancies 256 statements were presented in the 2nd internet survey. Of these, 32 items were retained. The resulting instrument assesses both the perceived relevance (importance) of an item as well as the performance of the care giver for each item for calculation of a summary satisfaction score (range 0 to 1). Sensibility testing showed good acceptance for most items. Construct validity was good, with mean scores of 0.63 (0.50 to 0.76), 0.71 (0.69 to 0.74) and 0.81 (0.79 to 0.83) for no, some and good global satisfaction (ANOVA, p < 0.001). Test-retest reliability was satisfactory (ICC 0.6 to 0.7).

Conclusions

We developed an easy to use, patient oriented, valid instrument to assess satisfaction with care in young persons with IBD for use in survey research.