2015 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo

Home Events & Meetings Annual Meeting Schedule & Program

Recorded Annual Meeting Presentations (RAMP) are now available for purchase.
Only $90 for presenters, $140 for registered attendees and $200 for non-attendees.

Online Program

333370
Navigating the Health Care System for Adolescents


Monday, November 2, 2015 : 9:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.

Denise Hughes, MS, Health and Prevention Services, Nemours Children's Health System, Wilmington, DE
Robin Brennan, DrPH, Nemours Foundation, Wilmington, DE
Kristin Maiden, Ph.D, Nemours, Wilimington, DE
Audio (mp3) recording Recorded Presentation (mp4)
We will share the importance of how adolescents need to be active participants in making informed decisions regarding their health especially as they begin to transition to adult focused care. The education system provides an ideal opportunity to teach these skills to adolescents. Current research shows this is often missed with adolescents in the general population creating a generation of young adults forced to make important health decisions without the proper knowledge on how to navigate often overwhelming health care situations. 

We will outline the development process of the materials included in the health unit, Navigating the Health Care System used to educate, engage and empower adolescents to be their own health care advocates and build the necessary skills to navigate the health care system.  The teaching framework will be presented including a discussion of the materials offered.  Each student was given a student workbook to use throughout the unit and to keep as a resource manual for the future.  In addition, teaching materials including a teacher guide, handouts, activities and videos pertaining to each module are provided for each teacher.  We will disseminate the findings from the the pilots conducted which tested the feasibility of the content, timing of the modules, knowledge and skill transfer and teach-ability of the unit. In addition, the results from the 1,200 students participating in the pilot studies along with student and teacher feedback will be reviewed.  We will reveal Nemours’ plans on moving forward and discuss how the participants feel they can use this material in their work and opportunities for collaboration.

Learning Areas:

Advocacy for health and health education

Learning Objectives:
Demonstrate the effective use of self-advocacy as an avenue to successfully navigate the health care system. Identify and teach the practical skills needed to understand insurance coverage, complete medical forms and navigate through a doctor’s visit.

Keyword(s): Adolescents, Health Promotion and Education

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the principal investigator on formative research projects assessing the health needs of adolescents informing the development of the Navigating the Health Care System health unit. My scientific interests have been in health literacy research and the translation of research to practice through development of the health unit with the goal of empowering adolescents to be their own health self-advocates.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3072.0: Health Communication with Youth and Adolescents (organized by HCWG)