ABSTRACT
The environment in which young people are growing up has changed significantly with the growth in social communication, changes in migration patterns and the proliferation of gangs. These changes pose a real and present danger to the health and well-being of young people in the UK and around the world. However, recognition of the safeguarding needs for this group continues to lag behind those of younger children and services often remain patchy and incomplete. We present a review of current safeguarding concerns as well as practical suggestions on their recognition and response for professionals working with young people in all branches of healthcare as well as education and wider society.
Subject(s)
Adolescent Health Services , Child Abuse, Sexual/prevention & control , Domestic Violence/prevention & control , Homeless Youth/statistics & numerical data , Juvenile Delinquency/prevention & control , Adolescent , Adolescent Behavior , Guidelines as Topic , Health Services Needs and Demand , Humans , Juvenile Delinquency/rehabilitation , Mandatory Reporting , Parent-Child Relations , Peer Group , Professional Role , Professional-Patient Relations , Social Support , United KingdomABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Many adolescents are having sex and adolescents with life-limiting illnesses are no exception. It is therefore important for health care professionals to take a sexual history and provide advice about sexually transmitted diseases, unintended pregnancies, and ways of reducing high-risk sexual behaviors. Consultations should provide a forum for discussion and education. A literature review revealed no previous studies on this topic. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to review medical consultations between adolescents with life-limiting illnesses and pediatricians to establish whether sex was discussed. METHODS: The clinical medical notes of 25 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years, under the care of a community team specializing in patients with nonmalignant life-limiting conditions at a District General Hospital in the United Kingdom (UK) were selected at random. Researchers retrospectively reviewed handwritten notes and typed letters in the medical records with a view to establishing whether a sexual history was taken on any occasion. RESULTS: None of the health care professionals took a sexual history from any of the adolescents on any occasion despite multiple clinic attendances. CONCLUSION: Sexual health is described by the World Health Organization as a basic human right. Clinicians may struggle to accept that adolescents with life-limiting illnesses may want to talk about sex, and this study has highlighted it as a topic that is generally ignored. Health professionals should include sexual health in routine palliative assessments. Adolescents with life-limiting illnesses should not be denied the right to holistic health care.
