Physicians' self-assessment on their training in Adolescent Medicine

AIMS: To characterize the way in which General and Family physicians and Pediatricians consider approaching adolescents, identify their qualifications in Adolescent Medicine, ascertain which topics of this specialty these physicians would like to see addressed in future training, and to compare the perceptions of physicians of both specialties with respect to their experience in adolescent health practice. METHODS: Cross-sectional study based on a survey sent by e-mail to 241 physicians in the area of influence of a level II hospital, including specific training interns or experts in Pediatrics and General and Family Medicine from health centers of the municipality of Viseu, Portugal. Chi-square tests or Fisher's exact test were used to test associations between variables, assuming statistical significance when p<0.05. RESULTS: A total of 113 physicians completed the survey, of them 74% female, with a median of 12 years of practice (interquartile range 5-30, minimum 2 years, maximum 38 years). The Pediatrics group had more training in Adolescent Medicine (57%) than the General and Family Medicine group (25%) (p=0.007). More physicians with specific training in Adolescent Medicine considered themselves prepared for the adolescent interview (51%, vs. 28% of those who did not have specific training, p=0.03). Family and General practitioners guided adolescents more about substance use, contraception, and sexually transmitted diseases, while Pediatrics doctors identified more adolescents with depression. Most physicians rated themselves as having insufficient knowledge in Adolescent Medicine, with insufficient training being the most frequently referred barrier. Fifty-seven percent of Pediatrics doctors, 78% of General practitioners and 84% of those with no specific training in Adolescent Medicine, considering the two specialties, would like to deepen their knowledge in this area. CONCLUSIONS: This study allowed identifying which areas of knowledge on Adolescent Medicine are deficient in the training of Pediatricians and General practitioners. Most physicians, especially those with no training in Adolescent Medicine, showed interest in filling this gap.