Are the health needs of young people with cerebral palsy met during transition from child to adult health care?

The findings apply only to young people with cerebral palsy without severe learning difficulties, because severe learning difficulties were excluded so participants could self-report. The unmet needs questionnaire items were chosen by a researcher from clinical and research experience, not through consultation with young people or parents. The questionnaire factor scores had low internal consistency, especially the medical care score for young people (alpha = .13), so the domains may not be stable. The weight item was removed because of how it was asked, so needs about weight were not analysed. The factor scores are specific to this sample and questionnaire items and should not be assumed generalizable. Attrition occurred: 74 young people had a final visit (69.8%), and those with household income of £31,000 or greater were more likely to be retained. The study did not measure the amount or type of health services received, so it cannot show whether services caused unmet needs.

The supplied text states that the Transition Research Programme was funded by the UK National Institute for Health Research; it does not give an author conflict-of-interest statement.

Do not read the lack of a significant increase as evidence that transition is going well. Many young people already had unmet needs at baseline, especially speech, pain and bone or joint problems, and the study did not measure the amount or type of services received.