New approaches to the delivery of health care to adolescents.
Adolescents are a new population group showing certain common characteristics which transcend the confines of geography, economics, education, culture and race. Certain health problems have emerged which are closely related to the life style of teenagers. These health needs are not met by existing health care delivery systems, and future planning must take into account the morals of young people. At present there is no unified approach to the development of health care programs for adolescents, but important explorations of effective methods are are taking place in a fragmentary way. The challenge is to provide the necessary technology and professional expertise in an accessible setting and then to weld these services into programs which will become cohensive and stable. Analyses of data show that adolescents seek help more often for primary and preventive care than for serious ilnesses. Services are particulary needed for addictive problems, emotional disorders, suicidal states, and conditions related to  sexual activity. Consideration of the effect of adolescent behavior on the reproductive cycle is of the utmost importance. These sequelae of conception and veneral disease can be extremely serious for the immature girl and her baby. Therefore the opportunity for birth control, health education, abortion and prenatal care for teenagers should be priority goals in any program for adolescents. The provision of services for the young mother and her baby should be included in the overall plan. New approaches in the ambulatory care of adolescents include an age-specific operation, satellite clinics with hospital backup, and the inclusion of young people in the planning services. Care should be comprehensive and continuous, and a multi-disciplinary staff team would permit a more effective approach. The involvement of other teenagers as assistants in counseling has been found an effective method of communication; this relaitonship may bridge the generation gap when highly personal experiences must come to the surface. Financial and legal barriers should be removed so that care is available to all. Social systems which affect the adolescent should coordinate their activities at all levels. Examples of some innovative methods are available. The ideal approach to health care delivery for adolescents is not yet established; but it must obviously do more than merely cope with a series of crisis oriented episodes. A recognition of underground self-help methods is needed, even if in the last analysis these methods are found to be irrelevant and are discarded. The health of teenagers automatically and immediately affects the well being of the following generation. No effort to improve the situation should be spared.
D000293:Adolescent; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D005193:Family Planning Services; D006296:Health Services; D006801:Humans; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders; D013405:Suicide; D014481:United States