Consensus on adolescent friendly health services

Global consultation on AFHS.

Rationale:

To develop a shared understanding in this area, based on hard evidence & the experiences & insights of front-line workers.

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Consensus statement on AFHS # 1.

Promoting healthy development in adolescents requires a shared vision with

complementary actions by different ‘players’; actions which are aimed at fulfilling their

rights & meet their special needs.

Consensus statement on AFHS # 2.

All adolescents should be able, to access promotive, preventive &

curative health services relevant to their stage of maturation & their life

circumstances.

Consensus statement on AFHS # 3.

For a variety of reasons, adolescents in many places are

unable to obtain

the health services they need.

Consensus statement on AFHS # 4.

Adolescents have many ideas about how to make health services user-friendly; generally they stress the

ethos more than the technical quality of the services.

Consensus statement on AFHS # 5.

A user-friendly health service does not necessarily ensure service

utilization by adolescents.

Consensus statement on AFHS # 6.

There are a number of approaches for increasing service utilisation by adolescents (in places where a

user-friendly health service exists).

Consensus statement on AFHS # 7.

• To complement & extend coverage of health services provided by government-run health facilities, other channels could be made available.

• Adolescents are much more likely to obtain the services they need if existing service providers are networked.

Consensus statement on AFHS # 8.

It would be helpful to define the elements of a core package of health

services, and how it could be developed and provided in different

settings & contexts.

Consensus statement on AFHS # 9.

Health care providers require technical competence relevant to adolescent health & development.

Consensus statement on AFHS # 10.

Quality assurance/improvement methods, which empower health care providers to

deliver client-centred care, should be applied to health services for adolescents.