Abstract
Health care providers are faced with many challenges when working with adolescents.
Vague symptoms, unreliable menstrual history, and adolescent reluctance to disclose
sexual activity present challenges to early diagnosis. When pregnancy is suspected,
clinicians need skills for accurate diagnosis, conducting comprehensive assessments,
and providing options counseling. Complexities of providing confidential care while
balancing the needs of the adolescent and family may deter some clinicians. A clinical
case scenario illustrates important elements of care. Through sharing lessons learned
from 10 years of working in a Pregnancy Follow-up Clinic, the authors hope to empower
other clinicians as they care for adolescents during this critical time.
Key words
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Biography
Mary M. Aruda, Assistant Professor, Boston College, Connell School of Nursing, Department of Maternal Child Health, Chestnut Hill, MA.
Biography
Kathleen Waddicor, Nurse Coordinator, Children's Hospital, Adolescent/Young Adult Program, Boston, MA.
Biography
Liesl Frese, Social Worker, Children's Hospital, Adolescent/Young Adult Program, Boston, MA.
Biography
Joanna C. M. Cole, Psychology Fellow, Children's Hospital, Adolescent/Young Adult Program, Boston, MA.
Biography
Pamela Burke, Nurse Practitioner, Children's Hospital, Adolescent/Young Adult Program, Boston, MA.
Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 09, 2009
Footnotes
Drs. Burke and Cole are supported in part by the Leadership Education in Adolescent Health Training Grant (MCH/HRSA T71 MC00009), Maternal Child Health Bureau, Department of Health and Human Resources.
Identification
Copyright
© 2010 National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
