After "The Talk": Adolescents' Perspectives Reveal Need for Improvement in Hospital Sexual Health Care Delivery. Hosp Pediatr 2023 Feb 01;13(2):147-155
Date
01/31/2023Pubmed ID
36710648DOI
10.1542/hpeds.2022-006580Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85181231314 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 1 CitationAbstract
OBJECTIVES: To fill access gaps for adolescents, addressing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is recommended in nontraditional settings. In previous improvement work, we increased documentation of sexual history to >80% of adolescents hospitalized on our pediatric hospital medicine (PHM) service. This study assessed adolescents' perception of SRH conversations with hospital providers and the extent to which they were helpful.
METHODS: Postdischarge survey of patients 13 to 17 years discharged from the PHM service at an academic children's hospital between August 2019 and March 2020. Survey items included demographics; whether confidential discussion of sexual health topics such as contraception, sexually transmitted infection (STI), and sexual orientation occurred; perceptions of these discussions, and sexual history.
RESULTS: Eighty-three patients enrolled and 44 (53%) completed the survey after discharge. A total of 68% of respondents were female and median age was 15 years (interquartile range 14-16). A total of 77% reported discussing SRH privately with a PHM provider. A total of 18% recalled discussing condoms, and 63% rated the discussion helpful. A total of 27% of females reported discussing birth control, and 40% rated it helpful. A total of 57% recalled discussing sexual orientation, and 40% rated it helpful. None reported discussions of STI testing with PHM. Of the 23% who were sexually active, none reported being given condoms.
CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of adolescent patient experiences identified opportunities for continued improvement in the content and quality of SRH discussions, specifically regarding offering STI testing, condom distribution, and sexual orientation conversations. Our work highlights the importance of incorporating patient-reported data into improvement work to ensure providers are addressing targeted gaps in adolescent care.
Author List
Mehta S, Porada K, Liegl M, Pan A, McFadden VAuthors
Vanessa Mcfadden MD Associate Professor in the Pediatrics department at Medical College of WisconsinAmy Y. Pan PhD Associate Professor in the Pediatrics department at Medical College of Wisconsin
MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdolescentAftercare
Delivery of Health Care
Female
Humans
Male
Patient Discharge
Reproductive Health
Sexual Behavior
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
