Abstract

For many chronic illnesses detected in childhood, care and therapy will continue throughout life and young people will need to be transferred from paediatric to adult healthcare. Many international and national statements and policy documents dictate that young people must be offered a coordinated, uninterrupted and developmentally appropriate transfer to adult healthcare. This is often complicated by the complex medical, social and psychological tasks and requirements that adolescents experience as they navigate their healthcare and their lives as young, developing people. The article presents findings from the foreign literature on the transition process, barriers for successful transfer of young people to adult healthcare and guidelines for the development of transition programmes in Slovenia.

Key words: healthcare transition, psychology, chronic disease.

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