Young Adults
with IBD Clinic

The IBD Centre of BC’s Young Adults with IBD (YAIBD) Clinic provides comprehensive support and tools to help youth and young adults manage IBD during this busy juncture in life.

If you have IBD and are between 17 and 25 years old, the YAIBD Clinic is for you. At this time of life you may be going through a lot of transitions, such as graduating from high school, starting post-secondary education, moving out of your parents’ house, beginning a career or even starting to think about having your own family.

At the same time, you may also be starting to take an active role managing your health and navigating the adult healthcare system. As an adult, you are responsible for making decisions about your health, managing your treatment and following through with your care.

At the YAIBD Clinic, we know that managing all of these changes can become overwhelming. Our integrated team of healthcare professionals is here to support and guide you through the process.

Your long-term health and quality of life with IBD depends on your ability to manage your disease and its associated conditions. This means learning to work with your healthcare team to make treatment decisions, adhering to medication and monitoring recommendations, and making and attending appointments with physicians and testing facilities. 

We aim to enhance your knowledge about your disease and provide you with tools to ultimately take ownership of managing your condition. We’ll tour you through our facility and explain all the support we offer. If you are moving from a pediatric system, our team will help you and your family to develop a plan to improve your health and transition seamlessly into adult care. 

Through appointments, public forums and educational materials, we will provide you with the skills to navigate the adult healthcare system, including teaching you how to advocate for yourself and interact efficiently with your care team to get the treatment you need. We will give you lots of opportunities to ask questions and prepare you to feel confident and empowered about your emerging healthcare independence.

If you are deemed ready to transfer out of a pediatric system, we will arrange to have your complete medical history transferred to the YAIBD Clinic from your primary pediatric care facility (usually BC Children’s Hospital). If you are newly diagnosed, we will also obtain all relevant medication information. Once our team has had an opportunity to review your history, we will begin scheduling appointments with you. 

Before your initial visit
To align your care and support in the best way possible, we’ll send you an intake package and questionnaire to complete before your first visit. It will take about an hour to complete the required forms.

Your first visit
Your first session will include a one-hour, in-person visit that you can attend with or without your parents or guardians. You’ll have thorough assessments with a pediatric gastroenterologist, an adult gastroenterologist and an IBD nurse. We will also evaluate whether you require other allied health support.

Follow-up visits
You will meet with your YAIBD gastroenterologist in 30-minute follow-up sessions without your parents/guardians. You may attend in person or, if you live out of the Lower Mainland, through Telehealth. These follow-up visits will continue for as long as you remain in the YAIBD Clinic. 

Allied healthcare visits
At the YAIBD Clinic, you can also schedule visits as needed with our other healthcare specialists, including dietitians, IBD nurses, social workers and/or psychologists.

Yes – we conduct research at the Clinic as part of The IBD Centre of BC’s quest to improve the lives of people living with IBD. As a patient, you may have the opportunity to take part in research. Your personal data will always be kept confidential and participation is completely optional.