Experience of medical transition from adolescents with congenital heart disease to adults:a meta-synthesis of qualitative research / 中华护理杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To systematically evaluate qualitative studies on the experience of transition from adolescent to adult medical care for patients with congenital heart disease(CHD),and to provide a reference for exploring CHD transition management options and developing intervention strategies.Methods A computerized search of PubMed,Embase,Web of Science,Cochrane Library,EBSCO,CINAHL,China Knowledge Network,Wanfang database,Vipshop database,and China Biomedical Literature Database for qualitative studies on the transition experience of CHD patients from adolescence to adult medical care was conducted for the period from the establishment of the database to April 2023.The quality of the literature was evaluated using the Joanna Briggs Institute(JBI)Australian Centre for Evidence-Based Health Care Quality Assessment Criteria for Qualitative Research(2016),and the results were integrated using meta-integration methods.Results A total of 9 studies were included,and 49 research results were extracted,and 11 categories were summarized.The final synthesis included 4 integrated results:①Complex attitudes towards healthcare transition,with both attachment and expectation:attachment to paediatric healthcare providers,expectation of transition to adult healthcare providers.(2)Facing multiple healthcare transition challenges:lack of adequate preparation for healthcare transition,parents withdrawing from the role of disease manager,large differences in services between paediatric and adult healthcare providers.③Expect to receive multiple supports:expect to receive comprehensive health education from healthcare personnel,expect healthcare institutions to set up healthcare transition counselling clinics and achieve handover of illness,expect to receive companionship and support from parents,expect to receive understanding and help from peers.④ Per-ceived benefits of medical transition:increased ability to manage illness,role change and personal growth.Conclusion Adolescents with CHD have a complex experience of transitioning to adult healthcare,and healthcare professionals should be attentive to their feelings,encourage them to deal with challenges positively,and provide adequate information and joint parental and peer support to facilitate a smooth transition to adult healthcare for adolescents.