Clinicians' views on reproductive needs and services for teens with negative pregnancy tests

Abstract

Issues and purpose: To explore services available to adolescent girls at the time of the negative pregnancy test (NPT) in an urban community.

Design and methods: Clinician focus groups were conducted to identify the needs of adolescents at the time of a NPT result.

Results: Teens access care in a variety of ways, services provided at the time of a NPT were agency and clinician dependent, and strategies for follow-up care often were unstructured. Few services were available for parents or partners. Barriers included difficulty communicating with agencies, lack of staff trained to work with adolescents, and time/financial constraints.

Conclusion: Adolescents need comprehensive, teen-friendly reproductive care at the time of a NPT result.