Adolescent medicine explained

Adolescent medicine physician
Official Names:
  • Physician
Type:Specialty
Activity Sector:Medicine
Formation:
Employment Field:Hospitals, clinics
Related Occupation:

Adolescent medicine, also known as adolescent and young adult medicine, is a medical subspecialty that focuses on care of patients who are in the adolescent period of development. This period begins at puberty and lasts until growth has stopped,[1] [2] at which time adulthood begins. Typically, patients in this age range will be in the last years of middle school up until college graduation (some doctors in this subspecialty treat young adults attending college at area clinics, in the subfield of college health). In developed nations, the psychosocial period of adolescence is extended both by an earlier start, as the onset of puberty begins earlier, and a later end, as patients require more years of education or training before they reach economic independence from their parents.[3]

Medicine is often categorized most simply as pediatric and adult, with the pediatric category covering from infancy through both childhood and adolescence. However, such categorization is further divided in some contexts, such that adolescent medicine can be a more specific focus within pediatrics and geriatrics can be a more specific focus within adult medicine.

Issues with a high prevalence during adolescence are frequently addressed by providers. These include:

Gay, lesbian and bisexual young people

Adolescents who are gay, lesbian or bisexual tend to demonstrate more risky health behaviors and have worse health outcomes compared to heterosexual youth, including:[4]

Chronic conditions

Chronic conditions often cause delay in onset of puberty and temporary or permanent impediments to growth; conversely the growth and hormonal changes can destabilize treatment for the chronic condition. An increase in independence can lead to gaps in self-management, for example, in the decreased management of diabetes.[6]

Young peoples' access to health care

In addition, issues of medical ethics, particularly related to confidentiality and the right to consent for medical care, are pertinent to the practice of adolescent medicine.[7]

Marginalised young people’s access is affected by their ability to recognize and understand health issues; service knowledge and attitudes toward help seeking; structural barriers; professionals' knowledge, skills, attitudes; service environments and structures; ability to navigate the health system; youth participation; and technology opportunities.[8] Marginalised young people’s healthcare journeys can be supported by advocates that help them navigate the health system.[9]

The particular needs of young people when accessing healthcare have also led the WHO to publishing guidelines[10] for adolescent-friendly health care, in an effort to increase adolescents utilization of the healthcare system.

Training

Adolescent medicine providers are generally drawn from the specialties of pediatrics, internal medicine, med/peds or family medicine. The certifying boards for these different specialties have varying requirements for certification, though all require successful completion of a fellowship and a passing score on a certifying exam. The American Board of Pediatrics and the American Board of Internal Medicine require evidence of scholarly achievement by candidates for subspecialty certification, usually in the form of an original research study.

In the United States, subspecialty medical board certification in adolescent medicine is available through the specialty boards of American Board of Internal Medicine, the American Osteopathic Board of Neurology and Psychiatry, the American Board of Family Medicine, the American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians, the American Board of Pediatrics, and the American Osteopathic Board of Pediatrics.[11]

List of adolescent health centers in the United States

San Antonio, Texas

Dallas, Texas

U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Spring, Colorado

Kansas City, Missouri

Indianapolis, Indiana

New York City, New York

Dayton, Ohio

Rochester, New York

Los Angeles, California

San Francisco area

Massachusetts[13]

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Columbus, Ohio

Seattle, Washington

Cincinnati, Ohio

Richmond, Virginia

Fayetteville, North Carolina

List of adolescent health centers in Australia

Sydney

Melbourne

Relationship with college health

See main article: College health. In the United States, the subspecialty of college health is closely affiliated with adolescent medicine. Many adolescent medicine fellowships include rotations in college-based student health clinics and many adolescent medicine physicians work in college health clinics.[15] [16]

Professional organizations

Founded in 1987, the International Association for Adolescent Health (IAAH) is a multidisciplinary, non-government organization with a broad focus on youth health.[17]

Publications

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Behavioral medicine : a guide for clinical practice . 2014-08-07 . Feldman, Mitchell D.,, Christensen, John F. . 9780071767705 . Fourth . New York . 897078390.
  2. Rieder S, Alderman EM, Cohen, MI . Feb 2011 . Adolescent Medicine: Emergence of a New Specialty . AMA Journal of Ethics . 7 . 3 . 10.1001/virtualmentor.2005.7.3.msoc1-0503 . 23249495 . 20 Sep 2020. free .
  3. Web site: Child and Adolescent Health, Credo Encyclopedia . October 27, 2013.
  4. Coker, TR . Austin, SB . Schuster, MA . 2010 . The Health and Health Care of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Adolescents . Annual Review of Public Health . 31 . 457–477 . 10.1146/annurev.publhealth.012809.103636 . 20070195 . free.
  5. Saewyc, EM . Poon, CS . Homma, Y . etal . 2008 . Stigma management? The links between enacted stigma and teen pregnancy trends among gay, lesbian, and bisexual students in British Columbia . The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality . University of Toronto Press . 17 . 3 . 123–139 . 1188-4517 . 53880937 . 2655734 . 19293941.
  6. Book: Michaud, PA . The Adolescent with a Chronic Condition: Epidemiology, developmental issues and health care provision . Suris, JC . Viner, R . 2007 . World Health Organization . 978-92-4-159570-4 . Discussion papers on adolescence . https://web.archive.org/web/20220703210810/https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/43775/9789241595704_eng.pdf%3Bjsessionid%3D41DF02B97329EB71FBE262707591C7A1?sequence=1 . 3 July 2022 . Department of Child and Adolescent Health and Development.
  7. Web site: Adolescent Health Care, Confidentiality . 24 Sep 2020 . American Academy of Family Physicians.
  8. Robards . Fiona . Kang . Melissa . Usherwood . Tim . Sanci . Lena . 2018 . How Marginalized Young People Access, Engage With, and Navigate Health-Care Systems in the Digital Age: Systematic Review . Journal of Adolescent Health . 62 . 4 . 365–381 . 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2017.10.018 . 1054-139X . 91642057 . 807447214 . 29429819.
  9. Robards . Fiona . Kang . Melissa . Tolley . Kate . Hawke . Catherine . Sanci . Lena . Usherwood . Tim . 2018 . Marginalised young people's healthcare journeys: Professionals' perspectives . Health Education Journal . Thousand Oaks, CA . Sage . 77 . 6 . 692–704 . 10.1177/0017896917752965 . 0017-8969 . 1748-8176 . 49052191 . 300300198 . 79580047.
  10. World Health Organization. (2009). Quality assessment guidebook: A guide to assessing health services for adolescent clients. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/44240
  11. Web site: Specialties & Subspecialties . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150813083503/http://www.osteopathic.org/inside-aoa/development/aoa-board-certification/Pages/specialty-subspecialty-certification.aspx . 2015-08-13 . 25 September 2012 . American Osteopathic Association.
  12. Web site: Adolescent Medicine - Pediatrics - IU School of Medicine . 9 April 2018 . iu.edu . 26 March 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180326135226/http://pediatrics.iu.edu/sections-and-faculty/adolescent-medicine/about-us/ . dead .
  13. Web site: Adolescent health centers in Massachusetts .
  14. Web site: Directory of school-based health centers .
  15. Web site: Adolescent Medicine – Education & Training The Children's Hospital at Montefiore . 2020-12-15 . www.cham.org.
  16. Web site: Adolescent Medicine Fellowship . 14 December 2020 . UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.
  17. Web site: History . 10 May 2020 . International Association for Adolescent Health.

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