Children and adolescents with chronic diseases requiring lifelong care face unique challenges that affect their daily lives and those of their families. Initially, these patients receive specialized care in pediatric facilities, where parents play a key role in treatment decisions. However, transitioning to adult healthcare facilities is inevitable, and this process, recognized as crucial years ago, involves moving adolescents with chronic conditions from child-centered to adult-oriented care. This transition can be complicated by varying age limits for pediatric care and the scarcity of adult care centers with specific expertise. The transition often requires cooperation between different centers or even countries due to patient mobility. The transition phase is critical, as it can lead to loss of follow-up, treatment suspension, and increased risks of complications or disease relapse. Beyond medical management, various factors influence the long-term prognosis of chronic conditions, making a well-organized transition program essential. While many hospitals have implemented transition models with mixed results in satisfaction, disease control, and follow-up adherence, there are frequent shortcomings in the process. This Mistakes In article will outline eight common mistakes made during the transition from pediatric to adult care, supported by literature and professional experience.

Ostomy management refers to the care and maintenance of an ostomy and involves various aspects to ensure the individual’s health, comfort, and quality of life. This should involve the patient, a close support system (family and/or friends), and a healthcare team, including ostomy nurses and healthcare professionals specialising in ostomy care.

The relationship between nutrition and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been an area of substantial interest and research for many decades now. Evidence-based nutritional strategies are being utilised as a key part of the therapeutic armamentarium in Crohn’s disease for both induction and maintenance, as primary and adjuvant treatment methods. Exclusive enteral nutrition, for instance, is well established in the treatment of paediatric IBD and adult centres are increasingly incorporating it into treatment models as an effective, drug-free alternative.  The role for partial enteral nutrition and Crohn’s disease specific diets are also being more clearly elucidated. Used appropriately, and through engagement with dietetic support services, nutritional therapies can not only achieve the IBD treatment ‘targets’ but serve to optimise other vital aspects of care, such as growth, bone health, body composition and overall patient well-being. Here we discuss some of the mistakes that are frequently made in the area of nutritional management of IBD. The discussion is evidence based, with key references incorporated for further analysis beyond the scope of this article, and combines several decades of leading clinical and research experience in the area of nutrition and IBD from the authors. 

Around 1 in 10 cases of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) will present before adulthood, with the median age at presentation being 11–12 years. IBD in children and young people is associated with more extensive disease, increased disease activity and a higher rate of complications compared with adult-onset IBD. Worldwide, estimates of paediatric IBD prevalence rates are lacking, but data suggest its incidence is increasing.

Short bowel is a condition that occurs after single or multiple intestinal resections. The incidence of short bowel in Europe is 2 per million of the population and it carries with it lifelong morbidity and mortality. The initial recognition and management of short bowel in the adult population tends to occur in the postoperative period and in the secondary care setting, where specialist input from clinicians experienced in short bowel is often lacking.