Transition to Adult Health Care

If you are routinely followed at the IWK Health Centre, at some point your care will transfer to an adult care team or your primary care provider (family physician or nurse practitioner) will be your main health care provider.  Every transition and transfer is different, but there are a few things you can do to start working on the skills you or your family will need as you transition from pediatric to adult care.  Starting early to build these skills and to learn to navigate the adult system is really important.  The information here will help you better understand this transition.  Start these conversations early with your health care providers, here at the IWK Health Centre and also with your primary care providers.  Talking about the transfer to adult health care will not make it happen but it may make you feel more prepared and confident when you do transfer from the IWK. 

General Transitions

The following “Fact Sheets” are designed to give you some general resources to help understand the transition from pediatric to adult health care.

• Fact Sheet: Differences In Care
  This Fact Sheet provides information on some general differences between pediatric and adult health care and provides some tips to help with the transition
• Fact Sheet: Primary Care Vs Specialist Care
  This Fact Sheet provides a general overview of primary health care (ie. your family physician or nurse practitioner and others who support your overall health care) and specialist care (ie. health care providers for a specific condition) and why both are important to maintaining your health.
• Fact Sheet: Transition The Basics For Parents 
  This Fact Sheet outlines a few key points about transition to adult health care for parents and caregivers.  It notes some potential challenges that you may want to discuss with your health care team and acknowledges some of the challenges your child may be facing.
• Fact Sheet: Transition The Basics For Young People
  This Fact Sheet outlines a few key points about transition to adult health care for youth.  It notes some potential challenges that you may want to discuss with your health care team and acknowledges some of the challenges your parents or caregivers may be facing. 
• Medication & Health Insurance Coverage
  This Fact Sheet helps you learn how to read a prescription label and give some tips on health insurance (ie. how to make sure your prescriptions are paid for once you become 18).  It references specific Pharmacare information for Nova Scotia; however, other provinces would have provincial programs for medication coverage in certain situations.
• Adult Health Care Provider Information
  This Fact Sheet gives some ideas about preparing for clinic appointments in the adult health centre.  It provides specific information about hospitals in Central Zone of the Nova Scotia Health Authority.

Childrens Health 

• Getting Ready for Adult Care
  This booklet gives tips for adult care, including how to prepare your adult clinic visits and questions to ask your health care providers
• Ton introduction aux soin pour les adultes
  Ce livret offre des conseils sur les soins pour adultes, y compris sur la façon de vous préparer en vue de votre visite à une clinique pour adultes et des exemples de questions à poser à vos fournisseurs de soins de santé.
• Get Them Ready for Adult Care
  This booklet includes information about the transition to adult health care and preparing your child for adult care
• Préparation en vue des soin pour les adultes
  Ce livret offre des renseignements sur la transition vers les soins de santé pour adultes et sur la façon de préparer votre enfant à cette transition.
• Readiness Checklist for Youth
  NEW! Now in a fillable form that you can save and send to your health care provider.
  This checklist helps you keep track of some of the tasks you need to learn to manage your own health care.  You may want to complete the checklist routinely to see how your skills are improving and where you might need to ask for help from family, caregivers, and your medical team.
• Vérification des connaissances et des compétences
  NOUVEAU ! Cette liste est maintenant disponible sous forme de formulaire à remplir que vous pouvez sauvegarder et envoyer à votre fournisseur de soins de santé.
  Cette liste de vérification vous aide à tenir compte de certaines des tâches à accomplir pour apprendre à gérer vos propres soins de santé.  Vous pouvez remplir la liste de vérification régulièrement pour voir comment vos compétences s'améliorent et dans quels aspects vous pourriez devoir demander l'aide de votre famille, de vos soignants et de votre équipe médicale.
• My Health 3 Sentence Summary
  This simple Health Summary helps you to outline your health care needs to your health care provider. Completing this exercise will give you a simple way to think through and summarize your health care, especially when visiting walk-in clinics or emergency rooms.
• Transition Lens Tool

Mental Health & Addictions 

• Transitions Guidelines 
  These Guidelines are intended as a guide to support a planned and coordinated transfer of an individual receiving mental health and addiction care from the IWK to the Nova Scotia Health Authority Central Zone 
• Stay Connected Mental Health Project
  The Stay Connected Mental Health Project supports the adoption of the Transition Guidelines with the IWK and the Nova Scotia Health Authority Central Zone

Primary Health Care 

• You're in Charge!
  You’re in Charge is a workshop designed for youth (13 to 15 years old) and their parents/caregivers to build youth’s self-management skills and confidence leading to the management of their chronic health condition and navigating the health care system. 

Get involved

• Transitions of Care Committee
  The Transition of Care Committee brings together patients, family members, community & health care partners, and IWK staff to guide the IWK’s Transition of Care initiative 
• Transitions of Care Community of Practice
  This Community of Practice brings together pediatric and adult health care providers, as well as community partners who work with youth, to enhance their practice related to the transition from pediatric to adult health care