Department of Child Health, University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica.
Rev Panam Salud Publica. 2011 Apr;29(4):252-8. doi: 10.1590/s1020-49892011000400006.
To review Jamaican physicians' adolescent health screening practices by determining their frequency in areas of biomedical, psychological, social, and educational health; the factors that influence these practices; and physicians' perceived level of self-efficacy and their awareness of screening tools and guidelines.
A questionnaire was mailed to general practitioners, family medicine specialists, and pediatricians in Jamaica. The primary outcome variable was the frequency of physician screening for a range of biomedical, psychosocial, and educational developmental issues in the majority (≥ 50%) of adolescent patients. Bivariate analyses were performed to determine differences between professional groups.
The response rate was 32.3% (n = 213), with 209 responders being suitable for further analysis. The sample comprised 48.8% general practitioners, 33.0% family medicine specialists, and 18.2% pediatricians. Physicians more often screened for biomedical risks than for psychosocial risks, with very low frequencies of screening for psychosocial issues such as mood, suicidal ideation, sexual orientation, and safety concerns. Physicians reported high levels of confidence in discussing most psychosocial issues with adolescent patients. Time limitation and an insufficient knowledge base were the main factors identified as influencing screening practices.
The data suggest unsatisfactory frequency of adolescent health screening by Jamaican physicians, in particular for psychosocial factors. The primary factors identified by physicians as influencing their screening practices have potential for improvement through continued medical education.
通过确定牙买加医生在生物医学、心理、社会和教育健康领域的青少年健康筛查频率，以及影响这些实践的因素，来评估牙买加医生的青少年健康筛查实践。同时，还评估了医生对自身效能的感知程度以及对筛查工具和指南的认识程度。
向牙买加的全科医生、家庭医学专家和儿科医生邮寄了一份调查问卷。主要的观察变量是医生在大多数（≥50%）青少年患者中筛查一系列生物医学、心理社会和教育发展问题的频率。进行了单变量分析以确定不同专业群体之间的差异。
响应率为 32.3%（n=213），其中 209 名应答者适合进一步分析。样本包括 48.8%的全科医生、33.0%的家庭医学专家和 18.2%的儿科医生。医生更经常筛查生物医学风险，而不是心理社会风险，对情绪、自杀意念、性取向和安全问题等心理社会问题的筛查频率非常低。医生报告称，在与青少年患者讨论大多数心理社会问题方面，他们具有高度的信心。时间限制和知识基础不足是被确定为影响筛查实践的主要因素。
数据表明，牙买加医生对青少年健康的筛查频率不尽如人意，特别是对心理社会因素的筛查。医生认为影响其筛查实践的主要因素可以通过继续教育来改善。
