Transitioning to Adult Care

The services that were once provided by the former Good 2 Go Program are now integrated with current hospital clinical and supportive services. Clinical teams will be the main point of contact for youth and family regarding the medical transfer of care to adult services. Clinical teams are equipped with a variety of allied health professionals (e.g. social workers, psychologists, physiotherapists, etc.) who can provide support or assistance if you have any questions or concerns regarding the transfer of services.

Supports, tools and resources related to the adult health-care system, including assistance with application and information on available resources, are now integrated within SickKids’ Resource Navigation Service.

Youth complete their SickKids journey by the time they are about 18 years old. The transition from paediatric care in the adult health-care system can be especially challenging for youth with chronic conditions, and their families.

Our goal as a hospital is to help prepare these youth and their families to transition out of SickKids with the necessary skills and knowledge to advocate for themselves (when they have the capacity to do so), maintain health-promoting behaviours, and utilize adult health-care services successfully. We believe that children and youth with chronic health conditions can acquire skills while in the paediatric system that will assist them in managing their health care both now and in the future.

By working from a developmentally-informed model of care, SickKids’ patients are encouraged to learn how to communicate with health-care providers on their own for part or for some of their visits. Some clinics even set ages in which youth are expected to be seen on their own. Practicing while still a SickKids patient will help increase the youth’s comfort and confidence in communicating with health-care providers, all with the aim of preparing them for when they enter the adult system.

MyHealth 3 Sentence Summary

MyHealth 3 Sentence Summary is one of the practical approaches SickKids’ patients are encouraged to use in preparation for transitions. It is a simple approach that teaches patients how to effectively summarize and communicate their health history and needs to health-care providers.

How do I use MyHealth 3 Sentence Summary?

Sentence 1: My age, diagnosis and brief medical history
Sentence 2: My treatment plan
Sentence 3: My question/concern to talk about during this visit

Example:

“Hi, my name is Sally Butamol.”
Sentence 1: “I am 16 years old and have asthma. I have been hospitalized twice but not in the last 5 years.”
Sentence 2: “I have been taking Ventolin and Flovent since I was 3 years old.”
Sentence 3: “I am here today because I can’t run anymore without wheezing a lot and having trouble breathing.”