We applaud Samir Dawlatly's exhortation ‘why bother talking to teenagers?’1 and would like to offer further commentary and clarity for those interested in working more effectively with young people consulting in primary care.
Dr Dawlatly refers to the RCGP Adolescent Primary Care Society. This group has been through numerous name-changes but is in fact known as the Adolescent Health Group (AHG [formerly the Adolescent Task Force]). The group has a long history upon that we build today. We are now part of the College's Clinical Innovation and Research Centre and more can be found out about our activities at http://www.rcgp.org.uk/clinical_and_research/circ/priorities__commissioning/adolescent_health.aspx including accessing the brand new Confidentiality Toolkit and a summary of the recent symposium on young people's mental health, a key priority area of the group.
Our three main areas of focus are education, informing policy development, and advocacy. The group's members lead on a number of different initiatives around the country that think ‘outside of the box’ and seek to make primary health care more youth friendly.
Young people deserve a better deal from general practice. They visit us regularly: around half of Year 10 pupils (14–15 year olds) had visited their GP in the 3 months preceding a recent survey2 but 25% of the girls reported feeling uneasy when consulting with their GP.2 The health needs of young people are also rising; with increasing use of alcohol, rates of STIs, and obesity.3 In the last few decades it is only adolescents who have seen no improvement in mortality rates with an associated rise in long-term conditions.4 Health inequalities further complicate the picture and remain a significant barrier for all young people to enjoy better health.
While we accept doctors cannot overturn the structural obstacles and transform health through the practice of medicine5 we at the AHG are committed to making changes to improve the care of young people's health in primary care. We invite you to learn more about us from our webpage and our chair's blog.6
For those readers who are interested in joining the group please contact Jane Roberts.
- © British Journal of General Practice 2012