Wisconsin Adolescent Health Care Communication Program

NOTE: This program has been replaced by the Providers And Teens Communicating for Health (PATCH) Program.

The Wisconsin Adolescent Health Care Communication Program (WAHCCP) is an intervention designed to bridge the communication gap between adolescents and their health care providers. Recognizing that teens are the population best equipped to offer providers accurate, authentic insight about adolescent concerns and preferences, this program allows providers the opportunity to gain privileged access to this unique population. At the same time, the program empowers teens to engage in open, honest and medically accurate discussions about sexual health with providers.

The Wisconsin Adolescent Health Care Communication Program is composed of two workshops. "Keeping It Real with Your Doctor" is an interactive and practical presentation by Teen Educators informing their peers about their health care rights. "Keeping It Real with Your Patients" is directed at health care providers as Teen Educators respond to the providers' questions and dispel misconceptions about what teens want and need at the doctor's office. The provider workshop can be paired with Adolescent Standardized Patient sessions that offer providers hands-on training and practical skill development.

The Wisconsin Adolescent Health Care Communication Program (WAHCCP) seeks to improve communication between providers and adolescent patients, and therefore improve the delivery of sexual and reproductive health care to young people in Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Adolescent Health Care Communication Program bridges the communication gap between adolescents and their health care providers through two workshops resulting in increasing knowledge, self-efficacy, and behavioral intentions among participants.

The Wisconsin Adolescent Health Care Communication Program (WAHCCP) has been very well received, with 93% of providers and 74% of teens rating the experience as very good or excellent. Early evidence from the evaluation of WAHCCP shows significant improvements in each measured outcome, including an increase in knowledge, self-efficacy, and behavioral intentions among teens and health care providers, as well as demonstrated change in clinical practice among providers at 3-month follow up. Teens that participated in the "Keeping it Real With Your Provider" portion of the program experienced an increase in knowledge of health care rights and responsibilities (gain scores ranging from 32% - 78%); showed increases in self-efficacy, feeling more confident in their ability to talk to their health care provider about sexual health and to seek the care that they need; and exhibited positive behavioral intentions to use communication skills and knowledge learned through the workshop when seeking health care in the future (gain scores ranging from 28% - 41%).

Similarly, providers that participated in the "Keeping it Real With Your Patient" program experienced a significant improvement in knowledge of adolescent health care rights, needs, preferences, and confidentiality laws (gain scores ranging from 20% - 77%); showed increases in self-efficacy, feeling more confident in their ability to talk with their teen patients about sexual health; exhibited significant positive behavioral intentions to use delivered educational resources in their medical practice immediately after the workshop; and demonstrated a significant change in self-reported behavior in two unspecified categories at 3-month follow up.