Online-Course: ProTransition -

ProTransition

Adolescence, Transition, Young Adulthood, E-Learning, E-Mental-Health

Prof. Dr. Harald Baumeister, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Ulm:

Online-Training: Development and Evaluation of an Application for Young Adolescents in Transition from Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/ Psychotherapy to Adult Psychiatry

01.07.2020 – 31.03.2022

The transition from adolescence to adulthood is a major development challenge for everyone. Additionally, it is a vulnerable phase for the development and chronification of mental illnesses. The clinical care delivery system often neglects relevant aspects of the transition phase. Thus, the psychiatry planning of Baden-Württemberg urgently considers the implementation of an equivalent care delivery in the child and adolescent psychiatry/ psychotherapy and general adult psychiatry.

The project is part of the cooperation project “ProTransition: digital assisted optimisation of the care delivery for young adults with mental illnesses in the transition from adolescence to adulthood”. Part of the project is also the development of an online-training (application) for young people in the transition from child and adolescent psychiatry/ psychotherapy to general adult psychiatry.

The online-course addresses health care professionals. It should convey expertise and practical implementation regarding transition psychiatry and the implementation of equivalent care delivery systems. As transition psychiatry is facing great difficulties and challenges, professionals should be adequately educated and consistent standards and a common language should be developed.

Description of the Project

During project term, an online course on transition psychiatry for mental health care professionals was created and evaluated to fill existing gaps in continuing education. A study was conducted to assess effectiveness and user acceptance. Probands filled out an online-survey before starting and after finishing the online-course assessing subjective estimation of competences, transfer to practical work and satisfaction with the online course (N = 703). We found an increase in competences and interdisciplinary understanding. Approximately 50% indicated that the course has helped establishing standards of care for patients in transition. Satisfaction with the online course was very high. In addition, a dropout survey was conducted (N = 283), where a lack of time capacity was identified to be the most important factor for dropping out of the course. In summary, the developed online course is a well-accepted and high-quality training possibility for the target group on the topic of transition psychiatry.

Ministerium für Soziales und Integration Baden-Württemberg