Transition Programs in Pediatric to Adult Ophthalmic Services
Key Takeaways
- Only five publications met inclusion criteria after a broad search of major databases.
- The included reports did not identify ophthalmology-specific transition programmes and instead described ophthalmic care within systemic conditions.
- The authors concluded that ophthalmology-related reports are scarce, that programmes from other specialties may offer an adaptable framework, and that more research is needed.
The review asked what published literature described transition programmes for young people moving from paediatric to adult ophthalmic services. It followed Joanna Briggs Institute guidance, with searches covering Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, and the Cochrane Library. Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts before full-text review, and data were extracted into a pre-specified tool.
No included publication specifically addressed transition programmes in ophthalmology. Instead, the included studies described ophthalmic care in the context of systemic conditions. Two studies involved young people with type 1 diabetes, two involved rheumatological conditions, and one explored young people’s views on the transition process in an eye or vision context. The literature clustered around condition-linked settings rather than ophthalmology-specific transition services.
The authors described transition-programme reports relating to ophthalmology as scarce. They also stated that existing programmes in other specialties may provide a framework that could be adapted to ophthalmology. The abstract further stated that more research is required to develop the use and impact of programmes in ophthalmology to ensure better outcomes for patients and healthcare providers. Ophthalmology-specific transition-programme evidence remains sparse in the published literature.