Adolescent Medicine

Greetings Readers!

Do you know what adolescent medicine is? Adolescent medicine is a sub-specialty of pediatrics, family medicine, and internal medicine. They work to address specific needs that adolescents may have, so typically they treat patients from 10 to 21. In addition to providing primary care services like well-visits, sick visits, and immunizations, they provide specialty care too!

These specialists have further training in treating things like: 

  • Sports Medicine

  • Sexual Health (Contraceptive care, HIV and STI testing and treatment, etc)

  • Reproductive health (Menstrual problems, sexual dysfunction, delayed puberty, etc)

  • LGBTQ+ Care

  • Eating Disorders

  • Mental Health (Depression, Anxiety, etc)

  • Substance Use and Abuse

  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

  • Chronic Pain

  • School/Academic concerns 

But you have a pediatrician, why would you seek out an adolescent medicine physician? Well, adolescent medicine physicians can provide specialized care for specific adolescent needs. This gives them more time to spend with each individual patient. Also, these clinics are typically tailored towards this age group, which means no baby toys!

Another benefit of seeking an adolescent medicine physician is that they focus on confidential care and consults. During a visit, they often set out time to have one on one conversations with just the patient. They do this because confidentiality concerns can be a barrier to adolescents receiving appropriate healthcare due to being hesitant about disclosing health concerns. Confidentiality refers to the protection of privileged and private information shared during a healthcare encounter and in medical records about the encounter. 

Here are some facts that demonstrate how confidential consults can be beneficial to adolescent health. 

  • 89% of parents believed that adolescents should be able to speak to providers alone, but 61% preferred to be in the exam room the entire visit. 

  • Over 50% of adolescents believe that parental presence impacted conversations with their providers.

  • A large national survey was done of middle and high school students, a quarter of these students reported that they did not seek health care when needed, 35% reported that one of the reasons for not seeking care was “not wanting to tell their parents.”

As you can see, in the absence of confidentiality protections, adolescents may forgo or delay seeking care. These are just a few reasons why seeking an adolescent medicine physician may be beneficial!

So, now that you know what an adolescent medicine physician is, how can you find one? Typically, adolescent medicine physicians are connected to children’s hospitals, but can be found in university medical centers, private clinics, school health services, and many other places as well!

Here’s how YOU can be a Prevention Partner: 

  • Parents/families/adolescents can seek out or ask their primary care physician for an adolescent medicine specialist.

  • Everyone can work towards understanding confidentiality and why it is important regarding adolescent health.

  • Parents/caregivers should provide a space for adolescents to get confidential consults. This will help them build a trusting relationship with their medical provider and grow independence which is beneficial for taking care of their own health.