Barriers Patients Experience Making the Switch

This section explains the obstacles my participants experienced while switching to adult primary care, as well as obstacles in receiving care from the doctor.

PATIENT EMOTIONS

Emotions such as fear, anxiety, confusion and frustration are some my participants experienced in relation to beginning the switch to primary care.

Ashley

Ashley felt intimidated by the lasting effect that choosing a doctor for her adult primary care has on "the rest of your adult life, you know." The change to a new provider and type of care "seems really permanent to me." Her picture of a Sharpie, which is a permanent marker, represents her concerns that choosing a doctor is a permanent decision.

FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS

My participants thought the financial burden of buying prescription medications and health insurance.

Robert

Robert explained "taking medicine or medication for hypothyroidism, and it is not cheap. It's expensive," as well as, needing a separate insurance plan from his parents at age 25, "which is also expensive to get insurance."

EXPECTATIONS

Two participants felt upon switching to adult primary care that they took on much more responsibility.

Ashley

Ashley described feeling "this pressure" to switch to a primary care doctor at age 18 because "it's the grown-up thing to do."