Child to Adult Transitions (CAT): Enabling good transition processes from child to adult medical care

Child to adult transition is at the center of attention in a new cross-border innovation project between Denmark and Germany. The project is called Child to Adult Transitions (CAT). It runs from 2023 to 2025 and is supported by EU’s interregional funds (Interreg Deutschland-Danmark).
The CAT-project (Child to Adult Transitions) builds on cross-border cooperation, exchange and capacity building. It aims to ease the transition from child to adult medical care by developing and implementing transition programmes for young patients. The programmes introduce transition teams at the hospitals and offer transition workshops for young patients and parents. It also develops new digital solutions about transition. CAT includes qualitative research with young patients, parents/guardians, and health care providers. It seeks to have collaborative and co-creative processes with young patients.
The project started in January 2023, which means that results so far include a successful initiation of processes of cooperation and collaboration between partners. New transition teams at the hospitals are being formed, and a qualitative baseline study is being carried out. The presentation at the conference will primarily focus on results from the qualitative research with young patients. The presentation highlights key themes from the baseline interviews and observations concerning challenges of transition from child to adult medical care. It brings to the fore the main concerns and needs of the young patients. The presentation also highlights steps taken towards involving young patients as collaborators in the CAT project.