Using the Internet to Help HIV-Positive Youth

The internet is a useful medium for assisting HIV positive youth. Youth need a dedicated website to access information, services, and social support to help manage their HIV.York's Knowledge Mobilization Unit provides services and funding for faculty, graduate students, and community organizations seeking to maximize the impact of academic research and expertise on public policy, social programming, and professional practice. It is supported by SSHRC and CIHR grants, and by the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation. [email protected] www.researchimpact.c

Pediatric residents' experiences of a clinical rotation in Adolescent Medicine

Abstract Background Although Adolescent Medicine is a pediatric subspecialty, it addresses many issues that differ from other aspects of pediatrics clinical training. The aim of this study was to explore the general experiences of pediatric residents during their rotations in Adolescent Medicine. Methods Qualitative methods were applied. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with pediatric residents who had completed a rotation in Adolescent Medicine. Emergent themes were identified. Results Three key themes emerged: gaining exposure, taking on a professional role, and achieving self-awareness. Subcategories were also identified. There was particular emphasis on the multidisciplinary team and the biopsychosocial approach to adolescent health care. Conclusions The experiences in Adolescent Medicine reflected residents' learning, notably gains in the "non-expert" as well as "medical expert" physician competencies. Future studies should explore how the interprofessional nature of an Adolescent Medicine team and the patient populations themselves contribute to this learning.</p

Canada's HIV-Positive Youth Desperately Lack Services and Social Support

Young people living with HIV need greater support to minimize the barriers to their full participation in society.York's Knowledge Mobilization Unit provides services and funding for faculty, graduate students, and community organizations seeking to maximize the impact of academic research and expertise on public policy, social programming, and professional practice. It is supported by SSHRC and CIHR grants, and by the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation. [email protected] www.researchimpact.c

Falling through the cracks of the big cities: Who is meeting the needs of HIV-positive youth?

Background: Globally, half of all new HIV infections occur among youth under 25. As of June 30, 2002, more than 13,000 youth and young adults had tested positive for HIV in Canada. Despite this prevalence, there is a lack of resources for Canadian HIV-positive youth. Objective: To investigate what can be done to better support the needs of HIV-positive youth in Canada. Methods: A community-based participatory research approach was adopted. Thirty-four qualitative in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with youth (ages 12-24) living with HIV in Ontario. A stakeholder group of youth living with HIV, professionals and researchers collaboratively analyzed the data for emerging themes. Results: When asked about areas in their lives where youth needed support, three major themes emerged: 1) Personal feelings about HIV: Youth identified a wide range of emotional response to their HIV status; however feelings of isolation, loneliness and hopelessness were dominant. 2) Barriers to full participation in society: Youth described a number of social and structural barriers to their full participation in society. 3) Specific support needs: Youth had difficulty accessing appropriate support services; they had very mixed feeling about both youth- and AIDS-serving organizations. Interpretation: The youth we interviewed are interested in targeted programs, have difficulty accessing appropriate resources and would benefit greatly from increased social support. Specialized health and support services that are developmentally appropriate may be necessary. Where specialized services do exist, more research may be necessary to understand why they are underutilized and/or perceived as inappropriate. While this was a small exploratory study, our data suggest that better supporting the needs of HIV-positive youth might directly benefit this vulnerable population

How Adolescents Use Technology for Health Information: Implications for Health Professionals from Focus Group Studies

BACKGROUND: Adolescents present many challenges in providing them effective preventive services and health care. Yet, they are typically the early adopters of new technology (eg, the Internet). This creates important opportunities for engaging youths via eHealth. OBJECTIVE: To describe how adolescents use technology for their health-information needs, identify the challenges they face, and highlight some emerging roles of health professionals regarding eHealth services for adolescents. METHODS: Using an inductive qualitative research design, 27 focus groups were conducted in Ontario, Canada. The 210 participants (55% female, 45% male; median age 16 years) were selected to reflect diversity in age, sex, geographic location, cultural identity, and risk. An 8-person team analyzed and coded the data according to major themes. RESULTS: Study participants most-frequently sought or distributed information related to school (89%), interacting with friends (85%), social concerns (85%), specific medical conditions (67%), body image and nutrition (63%), violence and personal safety (59%), and sexual health (56%). Finding personally-relevant, high-quality information was a pivotal challenge that has ramifications on the depth and types of information that adolescents can find to answer their health questions. Privacy in accessing information technology was a second key challenge. Participants reported using technologies that clustered into 4 domains along a continuum from highly-interactive to fixed information sources: (1) personal communication: telephone, cell phone, and pager; (2) social communication: e-mail, instant messaging, chat, and bulletin boards; (3) interactive environments: Web sites, search engines, and computers; and (4) unidirectional sources: television, radio, and print. Three emerging roles for health professionals in eHealth include: (1) providing an interface for adolescents with technology and assisting them in finding pertinent information sources; (2) enhancing connection to youths by extending ways and times when practitioners are available; and (3) fostering critical appraisal skills among youths for evaluating the quality of health information. CONCLUSIONS: This study helps illuminate adolescent health-information needs, their use of information technologies, and emerging roles for health professionals. The findings can inform the design and more-effective use of eHealth applications for adolescent populations