The effects of a standardized set of educational interventions on the health perception of adolescents with congenital heart disease (Transition model): Preliminary results of a quasi-experimental study

Background. The multidisciplinary standardized interventions to educate and support patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) are described as “Transition Clinic” (TC). TC represents a key element to deliver care for patients during the transition from childhood to adulthood. So far, there is a lack of empirical evidence regarding the impact of TC models on the improvement of health perception in adolescent patients with CHD (CHD-specific TC model). For this reason, the aim of this study is assess the impact of the TC model on CHD adolescent patients' health perception outcomes. Methods. This study has a quasi-experimental design. Quality of life, satisfaction and health perception were assessed in T0 and after 1 year from enrollment (T1). During the follow-up period, the patients enrolled (aged 14 to 21 years) were involved in the CHD-specific TC model. Results. The results are referred to the first 100 patients enrolled (mean age 14.79 ± 1.85 years; 60% male), as they have already completed the follow-up. The overall study is currently ongoing. According to Warnes' classification, 29% of patients had simple heart defects, 46% showed moderate complexity, and 25% showed severe complexity. The comparison between T0 and T1 showed statistically significant improvement in T1 regarding pain/discomfort, anxiety/depression and perception of health status (EQ-5D), general satisfaction and quality of life (LAS QoL). Conclusions. The preliminary results showed in this study are encouraging, and confirm the need to create a multidisciplinary standardized intervention of education and support to deliver care for adolescent patients with CHD.