PURPOSE: An increasing number of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) now have access to improved standard of care and disease modifying treatments, which improve the clinical course of DMD and extend life expectancy beyond 30 years of age. A key issue for adolescent DMD patients is the transition from paediatric- to adult-oriented healthcare. Adolescents and adults with DMD have unique but highly complex healthcare needs associated with long-term steroid use, orthopaedic, respiratory, cardiac, psychological, and gastrointestinal problems meaning that a comprehensive transition process is required. A sub-optimal transition into adult care can have disruptive and deleterious consequences for a patient's long-term care. This paper details the results of a consensus amongst clinicians on transitioning adolescent DMD patients from paediatric to adult neurologists that can act as a guide to best practice to ensure patients have continuous comprehensive care at every stage of their journey. METHODS: The consensus was derived using the Delphi methodology. Fifty-three statements were developed by a Steering Group (the authors of this paper) covering seven topics: Define the goals of transition, Preparing the patient, carers/parents and the adult centre, The transition process at the paediatric centre, The multidisciplinary transition summary - Principles, The multidisciplinary transition summary - Content, First visit in the adult centre, Evaluation of transition. The statements were shared with paediatric and adult neurologists across Central Eastern Europe (CEE) as a survey requesting their level of agreement with each statement. RESULTS: Data from 60 responders (54 full responses and six partial responses) were included in the data set analysis. A consensus was agreed across 100% of the statements. CONCLUSIONS: It is hoped that the findings of this survey which sets out agreed best practice statements, and the transfer template documents developed, will be widely used and so facilitate an effective transition from paediatric to adult care for adolescents with DMD.

1st Department of Neurology University of Athens Athens Greece

Department of Cognitive Science and Psychology New Bulgarian University Sofia Bulgaria

Department of Neurology University Hospital Aleksandrovska Medical University Sofia Bulgaria

Department of Pediatric Neurology University Hospital Brno Brno Czech Republic

Director of Institute of Genomic Medicine and Rare Disorders Semmelweis University Budapest Hungary

MASS Team London UK

Pediatric Center Semmelweis University Budapest Hungary

Pediatric Neurology Department SHATPD Prof Dr Ivan Mitev Sofia Bulgaria

Pediatric Neurology Unit Hadassah University Hospital Jerusalem Israel

Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer Neurology Clinic Ramat Gan Israel

University Emergency Hospital Bucharest Bucharest Romania

University of Medicine and Pharmacy Bucharest Bucharest Romania

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