In a just-released update of its 2011 clinical report, Supporting the Health Care Transition from Adolescence to Adulthood in the Medical Home, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued guidance to physicians to pay special attention to the critical pediatric-adult care transition period.

That’s in response to the 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health, which showed that only 15% of teenagers received the support they needed to successfully transition to adult healthcare.

“Youths, families and providers continue to experience the barriers to a smooth transfer and are looking for guidance on how to improve the transition process,” the AAP noted. “New data show that a structured transition approach significantly improves population health outcomes.”

The updated AAP report outlined a six-point framework for physicians to follow as their young patients approach adulthood.

“This framework has been shown to improve health care transition processes in primary care, subspecialty care, school-based health clinics and Medicaid managed care,” the AAP wrote. “In addition, the approach encompasses all three components for this critical transition: preparation, transfer and integration into adult health care.”

Read more here, on the AAP’s News & Journals Gateway site.