Journal of the Chinese Medical Association
Volume 73, Issue 3 , Pages 144-149, March 2010

Pattern and Consequences of First Visits to Obstetricians/gynecologists by Adolescents: A Nationwide Study in Taiwan

  • Hsiao-Yun Yeh

      Affiliations

    • Department of Family Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.
    • ,
  • Yu-Chun Chen

      Affiliations

    • Department of Medical Informatics, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
    • ,
  • Irene Su

      Affiliations

    • Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics Gynecology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
    • ,
  • Li-Fang Chou

      Affiliations

    • Department of Department of Public Finance, National Chengchi University, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.
    • ,
  • Hsiang-Tai Chao

      Affiliations

    • Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.
    • Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.
    • ,
  • Tzeng-Ji Chen

      Affiliations

    • Department of Family Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.
    • Institute of Hospital and Health Care Administration, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorrespondence to: Dr Tzeng-Ji Chen, Department of Family Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, 201, Section 2, Shih-Pai Road, Taipei 112, Taiwan, R.O.C.
    • ,
  • Shinn-Jang Hwang

      Affiliations

    • Department of Family Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.
    • Department of Family Medicine, National Yang-Ming University School of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.

Received 7 September 2009; accepted 16 December 2009.

Background

Some adolescents have special health care needs. Privacy concerns, unawareness or ethnical/cultural factors are barriers to women visiting obstetricians/gynecologists (OB/GYNs). The utilization of OB/GYN services by adolescent girls is seldom reported. The aim of this study was to investigate the pattern and consequences of first visits to OB/GYNs by adolescent girls within the National Health Insurance in Taiwan.

Methods

From the 1-million cohort dataset of the National Health Insurance Research Database spanning from 1996 to 2007, adolescent girls visiting OB/GYNs for the first time were identified. The characteristics of first visits were analyzed. Their follow-up visits and admissions within 1 year after their first visits to OB/GYNs were traced.

Results

In 2006, only 5.8% (n = 2,682) of 46,582 adolescent girls in our study cohort had their first visits to OB/GYNs: 46.7% with diagnoses of menstrual disorders and 14.8% with diagnoses related to inflammatory or infectious diseases of the genital organs. The examination most frequently ordered was pregnancy test (for 19.9% of these first visits). Very few (0.4%) first visits were for preventive services. Among the infrequent admissions (85 admissions of 75 girls) to obstetric/gynecology wards within 1 year after first visits, the majority (74 of 85 admissions) were pregnancy-related.

Conclusion

The leading motivating factor for first visits to OB/GYNs by adolescent girls was menstrual disorders. The majority of subsequent admissions were pregnancy-related, indicating that adolescent pregnancy deserves further attention.

Key Words:  adolescent , national health programs , obstetrics/gynecology , Taiwan

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PII: S1726-4901(10)70029-0

doi:10.1016/S1726-4901(10)70029-0

Journal of the Chinese Medical Association
Volume 73, Issue 3 , Pages 144-149, March 2010

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