Young people’s experience of transition from paediatric to adult haemophilia care in the UK

People with haemophilia and other bleeding disorders, such as von Willebrand’s Disease (vWD), are frequently diagnosed in childhood. There is, therefore, a recognised need to prepare children and young people with these conditions for transfer to long-term care in the adult sector.

The Transforming Transition programme was designed to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and experience to enhance transition practice in the UK. The aim of the programme was to secure change in working practices to enable nurses to drive improved transition outcomes, enhance self-management by people with haemophilia and develop clinical leadership.

As part of the programme, we captured young people’s views of their transition experiences by means of a series of structured interviews conducted with young people identified through the patient association. Interviews revealed that transition tended to take place around the age of 16 but could be delayed in response to individual circumstances. The transition process did not always appear to be planned, with many participants reporting an abrupt or sudden change between paediatric and adult teams and/or centres.

Those with severe haemophilia tended to be well educated and prepared by their paediatric teams to be confident in managing their condition from an early age. They would learn to self-infuse between the ages of 5-11, and reported feeling confident in tailoring their treatment around their daily routine. Experience of transition to adult services varied, with about half describing it as fairly well planned. For those with bleeding disorders such as vWD, there was rarely a transition process. These individuals and people with mild haemophilia described having less exposure to opportunities to learn self-management and appeared to experience issues which coincided with significant lifestyle changes, such as leaving home and attending university. This highlights the importance of ensuring that patients across the spectrum of bleeding disorders are adequately supported in the lead-up to and transfer to adult services. The interviews also reinforce the need to continue to address the specific needs of women with bleeding disorders as they transfer to adult services. The learning from this phase of the Transforming Transition programme was submitted to NICE as part of the consultation on its guideline.