Dear Families,
Congratulations on being the parent of an almost-teenager!
Over the past decade, we have worked together with you to help keep your child safe and healthy. As your child approaches adolescence, this collaboration begins to change in order to allow your teenager to assume more responsibility for his or her own healthcare. As part of this transition, starting at your child’s 13 year-old check up, your child will be encouraged to meet with the clinician without a parent present for the majority of the visit.
In order to facilitate this transition parents will be asked to fill out a comprehensive questionnaire about their teenager and will have an opportunity to discuss major concerns with the provider, however the majority of the visit will be conducted without the parent present. Based on a specific child’s needs, on occasion, there may be an exception to this plan. Additionally, teenagers will always have the option of requesting a nurse to be in the room as a “chaperone.”
We at Westwood-Mansfield Pediatrics are committed to empowering our adolescent patients to know and to understand their own pertinent medical and family history. We encourage you to inform and educate them about their chronic medical conditions, any medications (including vitamins and supplements) they are taking, and any allergies they may have. Being able to manage one’s own health care as an adolescent is an important step in the process of eventually transferring to adult-centered care.
Gradually shifting responsibility for health-related tasks at this developmentally appropriate time gives adolescents the knowledge, skills and experience necessary to become independent, and eventually manage their own health conditions. We can help our teenagers become informed and empowered young adults.
Please help your child with this process by making him or her aware of our patient portal and how to use it to contact us with questions. Additionally, we recommend all teens and young adults program the following information into their phone (consider password protecting):
- Any health issues (asthma, ADHD, allergic rhinitis, diabetes, high cholesterol, etc…)
- Any allergies to medications
- Date of the last tetanus shot
- Any current medications (including over the counter medicines, vitamins and supplements) including the dosage and frequency of administration
- Our office number as well as the names and phone numbers of any specialists they have seen
The early teenage years can be very exciting and challenging as your child strives to develop a sense of individuality. We look forward to our new collaboration with you AND your teen!
Sincerely,
Westwood-Mansfield Pediatrics
Recommended Book: The Complete and Authoritative Guide to Caring For Your Teenager: The American Academy of Pediatrics