title: Kids speak: effective communication with the school-aged/adolescent patient.
abstract: Caring for school-aged and adolescent children presents unique challenges to the acute healthcare provider. In today's healthcare industry, children should be informed and should participate in the medical decision-making process. Thus, the art of successful school-aged and adolescent communication is vital in today's economically driven market. Practitioners evaluating pediatric patients must immediately establish a rapport and trust--not only with the parents, but also with the child--through effective communication techniques. Effective communication skills and challenges are discussed, along with current research trends to improve patient-provider relations.
authors.affiliation: Emergency Department, Shriner's Hospital for Children, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA. koneill1@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Kathleen A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: O'Neill
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003142:Communication; D003657:Decision Making; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations