General practitioner confidence with adolescent health: Baseline findings from a randomised controlled trial in general practice

Abstract

Background and objectives General practitioners’ (GPs’) confidence in caring for adolescents was explored using data from a randomised controlled trial of an adolescent health assessment. Methods GPs completed an online survey. Using descriptive analyses, we assessed confidence with: (1) consulting with adolescents; (2) managing confidentiality; and (3) discussing different aspects of health. Requests for further resources were recorded. Results Most GPs were female (60.6%) and aged 31–59 years (80.3%). GPs were more confident consulting with patients aged 18–24 years (high confidence: 69.7%) versus those aged 14–17 years (50.0%; P = 0.011). Regarding patients aged 14–15 years, only 41.7% an..