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At-risk teens interested in seeing their medical records online
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Nov. 5, 2012
A study finds that teenagers who are detained in the juvenile justice system not only could benefit from having online access to their health records but also are very interested in the idea.
Researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine and the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in California interviewed 79 incarcerated teenagers who were treated at the medical center. They found that the teenagers have similar rates of Internet use as the general adolescent population, with 87% saying they used the Internet at least once a week before they were incarcerated. Ninety percent of the incarcerated teens said they would be interested in having online access to their health records and sharing them with their physicians or parents.
The study’s authors said more research is needed to understand the potential health benefits of giving online access to these teens. However, they generally have worse health than other adolescents, and many do not have family members tracking the health care they receive.
The findings were published online Oct. 22 in Pediatrics (link).
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2012/11/05/bibf1105.htm.