BridgeEoE: care transition manual

The management of EoE requires long-term maintenance treatment and ongoing monitoring. As a result, patients diagnosed during childhood will inevitably have to face the transition from pediatric care to adult care settings [5].

This transition is a particularly delicate phase, in which it is essential to ensure continuity of treatment and care, and therefore a consistent and effective standard of healthcare despite the change in clinical responsibility. This process involves numerous challenges not only for the patient, but also for all those involved in the care pathway.

The absence of a clearly defined transition process can lead to several critical issues, ranging from impaired communication among healthcare professionals to the repetition of costly tests, and even the potential loss of the patient to follow-up, with negative consequences for disease control.

The transition process should aim to ensure optimal and continuous care management through shared decision-making. It is also essential to provide the patient with the tools needed to understand and independently manage their condition, supporting the gradual transfer of responsibility from parents or caregivers to the patient.

This work was guided by a Steering Committee composed of:

• Dr. Roberta Giodice, President of the Association of Families Against Eosinophilic Esophagitis and Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Diseases (ESEO Italia)
• Prof. Salvatore Oliva, Unit of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Digestive Endoscopy Service, Mother and Child Department, Umberto I University Hospital, Rome, Italy
• Prof. Edoardo Savarino, Gastroenterology Unit, Department of Surgical, Oncological and Gastroenterological Sciences, Padua University Hospital, Italy

The Steering Committee was established to ensure a comprehensive and integrated vision of the therapeutic transition process. It included two highly distinguished clinicians, Professors Oliva and Savarino, selected among Italy’s leading experts in the management of EoE, with well-established experience in both pediatric and adult care. Completing the Committee was Dr. Giodice from ESEO Italia, representing the patient association. Her contribution was essential in complementing the clinical perspective with the real needs and direct experiences of patients, thus ensuring the development of a manual capable of effectively addressing the actual needs of all those involved in the transition process.

In order to ensure the highest possible validity and applicability of the manual, the first draft of the document was submitted for review to thirteen experts with proven experience in the management of EoE (Table 1). Their insights and suggestions were carefully considered and incorporated into the document.

Affiliation

Specialist

Department

Hospital

Type of center

City

Region

All activities, including professional activities, carried out by the association’s members and by physicians for the development and management of the projects are performed on a voluntary basis and without compensation.