Parental reports of health care practices for adolescents with Down Syndrome

Literature indicates that the majority of primary care providers are not meeting the health care needs of their adolescent patients. A survey of parents of adolescents with Down syndrome was conducted to determine the parents’ perception of the extent to which primary care providers are addressing the unique needs of their adolescent patients with Down syndrome. The tool utilized was a researcher developed survey that assessed the frequency of performance of multiple health care screenings and education as recommended by Guidelines for Adolescent Preventative Services, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Down Syndrome Medical Interest Group. The sample consisted of the parents of seven female and six male adolescents with a mean age of 15.77 years. The results from this study indicated that primary care providers were not addressing the unique health care needs of their adolescent patients with Down syndrome.