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Adolescent Medicine
Draft proposed by Dr Winnie Tse
Reviewed by Dr Stephen Chan, Dr S P Wu and Dr Rever Li
Essential Skills
Domain 1 - Professional Values & Behaviour
Domain 2 - Communication
Domain 4 - Patient management
Domain 5 - Health promotion & Illness prevention
Domain 9 - Safeguarding
Additional desirable skills are listed in each proposal. These recommended skills are to be acquired as opportunity arises.
Download Syllabus (28 November 2023)
VIEW another syllabus
Basic Training
Definition and Epidemiology
- Know definition of adolescence
- Understand statistics and epidemiology of adolescent health
- Understand health determinants
Physical and psychological changes of adolescence
Understand biopsychosocial development:
- Importance of physical, emotional, intellectual & social influences
- Distinguish the specific and changing health care needs of adolescents from those of children and adults.
- Recognise growth and pubertal problems
- Understand nutritional requirements
- Recognise overweight and obesity
Abusive substances
Understand:
- Mode of action of the substances
- Physiological consequences
- Causes and prevention of health compromising and risk behaviors eg. Smoking, drug and alcohol abuse
Sexual health
Understand:
- Distinction between gender identity and sexual orientation
- Principles of sex education
- Risk factors and implications of teen pregnancy
- Sexually transmitted diseases
Adolescent Gynaecology
- Understand dysfunctional uterine bleeding
- Understand dysmenorrhea
- Understand polycystic ovarian syndrome
Developmental conditions including eating disorders
Understand educational and vocational needs.
Recognise learning disabilities.
Eating disorders:
- Recognise clinical presentation,
- Identify anorexia nervosa,
- Recognise roles in multidisciplinary management
Mental health
- Recognise early signs of depression, anxiety, psychosis and suicidal tendency.
- Recognise red flags to refer to mental health specialists.
Safeguarding
Identify
- Adolescent violence and abuse
- Self-harm
- Date violence
Chronic illnesses and common clinical conditions
Understand & effectively communicate to address drug adherence
Manage chronic pains including migraine, tension headache, back and leg pains
Recognise:
- Sport injuries
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Psychosocial impacts of chronic illnesses
Transition of young person to adult services
Understand the crucial importance of a successful transitional care programme.
Desirable skills
1. Active Listening
2. Basic Counselling skills
3. Use of HEADSS tool to take a psychosocial history
4. Understanding of the limits of confidentiality
5. Pubertal assessment using the Tanner’s staging method
Higher Training
Epidemiology
- Appreciate the comparison between local and overseas epidemiological characteristics.
- Know local resources providing medical, educational, vocational, social and mental health services for adolescents.
Physical and psychological changes of adolescence
Carry out a detailed assessment of growth, puberty and nutritional problems.
Abusive Substances
- Provide anticipatory guidance on health-compromising behaviours.
- Participate in MDT in abstinence programme.
Sexual health
- Provide medical treatment of common STDs.
- Gives counseling on relationship issues and safe sex practices.
- Give counseling and prescription of emergency contraception.
Developmental conditions including eating disorders
- Perform initial assessment of issues e.g. school adjustment, peers, self-image and autonomy.
- Understand parental styles and parenting issues.
- Understand the impacts of chronic illness, disability, death and dying on adolescent development.
- Participate in MDT management of a range of eating disorders (anorexia, binges, bulimia)
- Manage ADHD.
Mental health
Manage common mental health disorders e.g. anxiety, psychosomatic disorders, stable depression and psychosis, chronic fatigue syndrome.
Safeguarding
Practise the limits of confidentiality.
Chronic illnesses and common clinical conditions
- Manage acne.
- Manage treatment compliance issues with involvement of the adolescent in the treatment process.
- Participate in adolescent palliative management.
Transition of young person to adult services
Participate in the transitional care of a variety of chronic medical conditions.
