Transition from pediatric to adult diabetes care in a district hospital

Introduction: Transition in care (TC): Planned and structured transfer of pediatric care to adult. Objective: to compare the transfer process (PCA) of patients with type 1 diabetes (DM1) with (Group A) and without (Group B) TC. Material and Methods: Cross-sectional study. Patients with DM1, 18-25 years, followed on the pediatric service of a district hospital. A questionnaire with a likert scale was used: 1 (totally disagree) to 5 (totally agree). Adequate TC: onset 14 years; promotion of autonomy; user participated; understanding the difference in services; multidisciplinary and transmission of information between professionals. Results: Total 29, 14 from Group A. The following medians were obtained for Group A and B: "age at onset of PCA": 17 vs 18 years; "promotion of autonomy": 5 vs 5; "explanation of differences between services": 4 vs 4; "participation in the process": 5 vs 3; "transmission of information between professionals": 4.5 vs 4; "multidisciplinary team": 4 vs 3. In group A 36% responded affirmatively to all items defined for adequate TC. Discussion: On the group with TC, the median age of onset of PCA was lower, although higher than proper. In the remaining items, the response medians were higher in group A, except for promotion of autonomy and explanation of service differences, with a statistical difference in user participation in the process and the involvement of a multidisciplinary team. TC is implemented, but needs to be systematized to improve care provided