Abstract
Transitional healthcare is defined as the ‘The process of moving from children’s to adults’ services. It refers to the full process including initial planning, the actual transfer between services and support throughout’ (NICE, 2016: 17). This is opposed to transfer, which is the point in time where health care is taken over by adult services (Colver et al. 2020). It has long been recognised that this period can cause anxiety for young people and can be a period of increased risk (NICE, 2016; CQC, 2014). Young people may be nervous about leaving settings they have been familiar with for a long period of time, and find it difficult to build new relationships with practitioners (Colver et al. 2020). To maximise the potential for successful transition, it is important that practitioners engage with young people in developmentally appropriate ways (Colver et al. 2020). Digital communication is one method that is suggested in the NICE (2016) guidelines, so the reviewed study will be of great interest to all healthcare providers who work with young people in transitional health services, not solely those working in mental health settings. This is particularly due to the level of research papers into this topic being limited. This paper is timely, due to the increasing recognition for adolescent and young adult health services to be developmentally appropriate and an increasing focus on the development of transitional health services.
Although the sample size of the study is small, with only five reviewed transcripts being from young people, a solid methodology was used, which mean the findings of the study can be used as indicators for the advantages and challenges the use of digital communication can bring. For those working with young people, it is perhaps unsurprising that the paper found that the use of digital communication aided the establishment of positive working relationships between professionals and the young people, as well as improving young people’s access to services. However, the paper also highlighted the safety concerns that arise with this type of communication, e.g. communication not always being picked up immediately. It would be useful for there to be further exploration of what processes can be utilised to ensure boundaries are maintained to protect both the young person and the professional. It would also be beneficial for there to be further research into the impact on attendance rates following the use of digital communication.
A key feature of developmentally appropriate healthcare that leads to successful transition is the development of the young person developing skills to manage their healthcare autonomously (Colver et al. 2020). The reviewed study found that digital communication is a tool that can aid the development of autonomy. It is interesting that this was considered beneficial by staff as well as young people. As there can be reluctance to utilise digital communication due to confidentiality concerns, evidence to support its use with young people to develop autonomy will be valuable to many professionals working in transitional health services.
The authors are right to highlight that there may be risks to the use of digital communication, and further guidance and policy development is needed to protect both patients and professionals.
Overall, this is a well-timed and useful study that will be of interest to a range of professionals working with young people transitioning from children’s to adults' health services.