Confidentiality is critical for teen gyn. care.(Gynecology)

BOSTON -- A few adjustments might be needed to make your practice approachable and comfortable for adolescent patients, but the long-term payoffs can be worth it.

"Why is it some people aren't so comfortable taking care of adolescents? They think they take more time in the office. They have varied issues. It's sometimes challenging, and a lot of ob.gyn. residency programs didn't address pediatric or adolescent gynecology specifically, Marc Laufer, M.D., said at an ob.gyn. meeting sponsored by Harvard Medical School.

"We're aware of that, and we're trying to address it through the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology [NASPAG]," said Dr. Laufer of Harvard and chief of gynecology at Children's Hospital Boston.

Confidentiality is "one of the key issues" in making a practice more friendly for adolescents. One critical move is to make sure sound doesn't carry. If office walls aren't soundproof, Dr. Laufer suggested using sound machines, such as white noise machines or sound conditioners, which can help mask sounds between offices.

A lot of care for these patients can be ...