Table 1.

Themes and their associated definitions identified in metasynthesis.

Main Theme	Definition
Developing transition readiness	Adolescents and young adults view transition preparation as a time to obtain certain levels of knowledge, experience, support, and independence to help them succeed after transition to the adult healthcare setting.
Conceiving expectations based upon pediatric healthcare	Over their years of being taken care of by pediatric healthcare providers, adolescents and young adults have developed assumptions about their future adult healthcare teams which they carry with them while they are preparing for transfer and after they transfer to the adult healthcare setting.
Transitioning leads to evolving parent role	During transition to adult healthcare, AYA develop independence but still desire parents’ presence to assist with continuity of care and find them to be a source of comfort.
Transitioning leads to evolving youth’s role	The role of the adolescent and young adult transforms from a dependent and passive role to a more independent role with increased responsibility as they prepare or transition to adult healthcare.
Identifying barriers	Adolescents and young adults have recognized differences between the pediatric and adult setting, which causes concern for them during the transition.
Lacking transition readiness	A lack of transition preparation can lead to a variety of poor outcomes for youth in terms of health outcomes, relationships with new providers and their parents, and their perspective of the transfer to the adult healthcare setting.
Recommendations for improvement to transition preparation	Adolescents and young adults have numerous suggestions for assisting them as they plan for transition, which they would like to be implemented prior to transition to the adult healthcare setting.