The current analysis is derived from a subset of a 190-item online survey assessing cancer survivorship practices, services, and care delivery at COG institutions [28 ]. In follow-up to a 2007 survey of COG survivorship practices [13 (link)], respondents were asked to report institutional characteristics, including institution type, size, upper age limits for newly diagnosed patients, institutional policies on age at transfer, and models of care for adult survivors of childhood cancer.
If respondents reported their institution transferred patients out for long-term follow-up care in adulthood (e.g., their institution transferred patients at a certain age or transferred survivors "when they are ready"), they were asked to complete nine items related to healthcare transition programming. These items included identifying (1) the top two most difficult barriers to transitioning survivors to adult care providers for cancer-related care, (2) care team members involved in introducing and coordinating transition, (3) when in the cancer trajectory sites typically introduce the concept of transition, and (4) if sites had implemented transition programming (6 items) aligned with the six core elements of Health Care Transition 2.0 from the US Center for Health Care Transition Improvement [14 (link)]. If respondents reported their patients are “seen indefinitely and not transferred elsewhere,” they were not asked any further questions about institutional healthcare transition supports. All respondents were allowed to omit responses to individual questions at their discretion.
If respondents reported their institution transferred patients out for long-term follow-up care in adulthood (e.g., their institution transferred patients at a certain age or transferred survivors "when they are ready"), they were asked to complete nine items related to healthcare transition programming. These items included identifying (1) the top two most difficult barriers to transitioning survivors to adult care providers for cancer-related care, (2) care team members involved in introducing and coordinating transition, (3) when in the cancer trajectory sites typically introduce the concept of transition, and (4) if sites had implemented transition programming (6 items) aligned with the six core elements of Health Care Transition 2.0 from the US Center for Health Care Transition Improvement [14 (link)]. If respondents reported their patients are “seen indefinitely and not transferred elsewhere,” they were not asked any further questions about institutional healthcare transition supports. All respondents were allowed to omit responses to individual questions at their discretion.
