The Toronto congenital heart disease transition task force

There is consensus regarding the importance of a thoughtful and coordinated transition process to support adolescents and young adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) as they take increasing responsibility for their health care management and transfer from pediatric to adult care. Few CHD teams, however, offer formal transition programs. This paper describes the development of the Toronto CHD Transition Task Force, which is an interdisciplinary group of pediatric and adult providers committed to undertaking practical strategies to optimize the transition and transfer of adolescents and young adults with CHD. Task Force initiatives are described in three categories: (1) patient and family education, (2) preparation for transfer, and (3) coordinated transfer of care. It is hope that the experiences and resources of this Task Force will assist other programs interested in developing or expanding their transition services.