Doctors and Young People

Doctors can assist young people to stay healthy and well by helping with emotional problems, relationship problems, drug and alcohol issues, sexuality issues and family planning, immunisation, physical illness and injury.

Confidentiality

Many young people visit their doctor with their parents, but they can ask the doctor to see them alone or with a trusted companion. Clinical judgement of doctors determines if they will respect a young person’s privacy and confidentiality. The young person should be encouraged to discuss this with their doctor prior to the consult if they are concerned their parents may be involved or informed.

The doctor will not release any information unless they have the young person’s permission; or if the patient is in a dangerous situation; or if the patient is threatening the safety of others.

Choosing a doctor

A doctor who knows the young person’s past medical history and that of their family is best placed to help them. If choosing their own doctor, they should seek someone they feel comfortable with; someone who listens to what they have to say and they feel is interested in them.

Doctor Search on the AMA Victoria website (www.amavic.com.au) enables you to search for General Practitioners by location, language and special interest such as adolescent health.

Visiting a doctor

A telephone call to the clinic is needed to make an appointment. A normal consultation time is 10 – 15 minutes. If they think it will require more time, they should let the receptionist know when they make the appointment. If the young person has not seen the doctor before, the first visit will take longer than a usual appointment as the doctor will need to know about their health, lifestyle, and concerns they have.

If the matter is urgent, they should make sure this is clear when making the appointment.

Cost

When making the appointment, they should ask about the cost. If the doctor bulk bills they can arrange government payment of the cost of the appointment without an account being sent to their home. The young person may call 13 20 11 to get their family Medicare Card number, expiry date of their Medicare Card and their individual patient number to bring to the appointment with them.

If they are aged 15 or over they can obtain their own Medicare Card. Call 13 20 11 for an application form or download from the Medicare Australia website at www.medicareaustralia.gov.au.

If the doctor doesn’t bulk bill this means the cost of the visit is shared by the government and the patient, who will need to pay the doctor either the full cost or the difference between Medicare and the actual cost of the consultation. Young people need to be aware in these instances that a cheque may be received at home from Medicare which may compromise the confidentiality of their visit.

Before the appointment

The young person should write down the questions they want to ask the doctor. The doctor will probably start by asking how they are. This is the opportunity for them to tell the doctor the reason for the visit, what prompted them to make the appointment. The doctor will ask questions to help understand the issue. If the young person finds it hard to talk about it, encourage them to write down their questions, feelings and concerns beforehand and give this to the doctor. If they can’t make the appointment the young person should call the clinic and cancel the appointment. This saves others waiting unnecessarily.

The appointment

There are likely to be other people waiting their turn to see the doctor. Suggest the young person ask the receptionist the likely time the doctor will be able to see them. Urge them to be patient. The doctor may have been delayed by an emergency. They may call the practice to see if their appointment is likely to be delayed if anxious about waiting.

How to Find a Youth Friendly Doctor

While all GPs treat young people and are trained to deal with problems that affect young people, some GPs have a special interest in youth health. Many young people may prefer to see such a doctor. Below are some suggested ways to look for youth friendly doctors in Victoria:

• Use the Doctor Search at www.amavic.com.au – scroll over ‘Community Info’ at the top of the page, then click on ‘Dr Search’, and search GPs by special interest (adolescent medicine).
• Google “youth friendly doctor”.
• Divisions of General Practice Victoria could be a helpful resource to find doctors with special interest in youth health in your local area (although there is no specific reference on the website to youth friendly doctors). See www.gpdv.com.au, or phone (03) 9341 5200
• Headspace is Australia’s National Youth Mental Health Foundation. They provide health services to young people aged 12-25. More details about their locations are at www.headspace.org.au.