Provider Adherence to Preventative Health Care Guidelines in Adolescent Girls Presenting for Well Visit

Abstract

A dearth of research exists examining provider adherence to preventative health care guidelines at adolescent well-care visits. We examined adherence in 3 domains: documentation of sexual activity, documentation of menstrual characteristics, and administration of the human papillomavirus vaccine. We identified electronic health records of a random sample of 124 adolescent girls seen within the hospital-affiliated pediatric primary care clinics from July 1, 2014, to June 30, 2015. Approximately one quarter of the records examined had no documentation of sexual activity. Documentation occurred more frequently in English speakers ( P = .003). Asian girls had the least documentation of sexual activity ( P = .003). Clinicians documented menses characteristics in only 27% of adolescent girls with no documentation noted for Asian adolescents. Over 40% of eligible adolescents did not receive the human papillomavirus vaccine. Only 19.4% of adolescents received all the 3 recommended services. This study demonstrates that adolescent girls are not receiving recommended assessments or care to protect their reproductive health.