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Evaluation of the TAC Program

Not Applicable
Conditions
Youth with Multimorbidity or Rare Dieases
Registration Number
NCT06583525
Lead Sponsor
The Hospital for Sick Children
Brief Summary

This is a mixed-methods evaluative study examining the effectiveness of the Transition to Adult Care Program at the Hospital for Sick Children (TAC) Program on high-risk youth with medical and psychosocial complexity transitioning to adult and/or primary care services.

The overarching aim is to study the effectiveness of a new interdisciplinary and holistic Transition to Adult Care Program (TAC) on health-related outcomes for high-risk youth with multimorbidity or rare diseases and their caregivers by:

1. Assess the effect of the TAC program on the youth's transition readiness, self-efficacy, self-management, health-related quality of life, and satisfaction.

2. Assess the effect of the TAC program on the caregiver's satisfaction.

3. Explore the experiences, perceptions, needs, and priorities of youth and caregivers participating in the TAC program using qualitative research methods.

4. Describe the feasibility of the TAC program (defined as success in patient recruitment, attendance, participation, retention and transfer).

Detailed Description

Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
ENROLLING_BY_INVITATION
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
126
Inclusion Criteria

Aged 16-18 years old and have a complex medical history, as defined by:

  1. Clinical Characteristics: Multi-morbidity (≥ 3 long-term chronic physical and/or mental health conditions (with primary condition being a physical health condition AND/OR Rare disease/ genetic condition.
  2. High Risk: No clearly identified adult provider/services following transfer AND/OR experiencing significant barriers related to Social and Structural Determinants of Health.
Exclusion Criteria
  1. Moderate to severe developmental/intellectual disabilities
  2. Followed by services at SickKids which has an established transition program/provider
  3. Does not provide consent

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Early Identification and Transition ReadinessBaseline,12 months and 24 months

The change in the patients knowledge and confidence in their ability to manage their health and demonstrate transition readiness will be assessed using the Patient Activation Measure (10-item survey). An average net 6-point score increase demonstrating improvement

Early Identification and Transition Readiness - Service SatisfactionBaseline,12 months and 24 months

The change in the patients and caregivers satisfaction with transitional health care services will be measured using the Larsen Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (8-item survey).

Information Sharing and Support6 to 24 months

The transition intervention will include offering support from the time of discharge from pediatric services until the first appointment with adult services. The number of patients who receive this intervention will be assessed via report in the patients medical record.

Transition Plan6 to 24 months

The transition intervention will include the co-creating an individualized transition plan to identify the patients transition goals and set timelines. The number of patients who receive this intervention will be assessed via report in the patients medical record.

Coordinated Transition6 to 24 months

The transition intervention will include developing a patient-specific transfer package. The number of patients who receive this intervention will be assessed via report in the patients medical record.

Introduction to Adult Services24 to 36 months

A joint clinic visit will be facilitated by the transition team with the identified receiving adult care provider. The number of patients who have received a warm handover visit with the transition team, primary care provider/service team, will be assessed via report in the patients medical record.

Transition Completion24 to 36 months

Successful transfer will be measured by the attendance of the first appointment with a primary care and/or subspecialty adult care provider between the first 6 to 12 months of transfer from the pediatric provider.

Health-Related Quality of LifeBaseline, 12 months and 24 months

The change in the patients quality of life will be measured using the The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 Generic Core Scale Teen Report The 23-item survey will assess four core health dimensions (physical functioning, emotional functioning, social functioning and school functioning) transformed into total scores ranging from 0 to 100. An increase in 12 and 24 months follow-up scores from baseline will be measured.

Experience in the process24 to 36 months

Semi-structured qualitative interviews will be conducted with a subset of participants to explore participants; experiences working with the transition team, and satisfaction with the tools and resources used.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Program Feasibility24 to 36 months

The successful implementation of the intervention will be evaluated by assessing the feasibility of the program. The percentage of attended appointments, completed questionnaires, individualized transition plans created, warm handovers completed prior to participants' 18th birthday, and additional clinic visits required will be documented for each participant.

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