Brief Report: Deficits in Health Care Management Skills Among Adolescent and Young Adult Liver Transplant Recipients Transitioning to Adult Care Settings

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present study was to describe and compare mastery of health care management in adolescent (aged 14-17 years) and young adult recipients of a liver transplant (age ≥ 18 years) expected to transfer from pediatric to adult care settings. METHODS: Fifty-two liver transplant recipients completed the Developmentally Based Skills Checklist, which asks how often patients independently engage in specific health care management skills. RESULTS: Overall, young adult patients reported greater health care management than adolescents. However, less than half of the young adults surveyed reported consistently managing their liver disease independently, making their own appointments, and understanding insurance issues. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that liver transplant recipients display inconsistency with regards to how frequently they engage in health management behaviors. Future work will address intervention development to remedy this first aspect of transition to adulthood such that patients are better prepared before moving to adult care centers.