This topic and the study that surveyed 20 Asian-American teenagers were closely examined in a recent NPR piece. Here are four ways physicians can improve communication with Asian-American teens about their sexual health.
1. Take initiative and build trust: Many Asian households are very conservative, which can often lead to very basic and sometimes didactic conversations about sexual health. The study’s lead author Jessie Zhao, MD, pediatric resident at the NYU Langone Medical Center, recalled from her own upbringing, “The stance in the household was always, ‘You will not get pregnant, you will not date, you will go to college, and then maybe after college you can date.'” Because of this, Asian-American teens may be exceptionally cautious when communicating with physicians, thinking they might report directly to their parents. Many of the teens surveyed in the study were completely unaware of patient-provider confidentiality. If physicians are not inciting a conversation about sexual health, one may not occur.
2. Drop the stereotypes: Teens in the study reported feeling stereotyped as less sexually active, asserting that many physicians and providers presumed they were uninterested in the topic. However, according to the study’s senior author Glenn Flores, MD, distinguished chair of health policy research at Medica Research Institute, Asian-Americans’ age of sexual debut and their risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections are the same as white teenagers, though they are less knowledgeable about HIV transmission and have lower rates of HIV screening.
3. Be a source for information: The teens ranked physicians below friends, teachers, the Internet and television on the list of sources for sexual health information. Physicians were only rated above magazines.
4. Change the thinking, change the conversation: Many of the teens reported lying to providers about sex. Dr. Flores believes providers can change the conversation by thinking of the problem as a quality of care issue and emphasizing confidentiality. “When a group of teens tells us they consistently lie because of things that we’re not doing…I think that’s something to really pay attention to,” Dr. Flores told NPR.
More articles on integration and physician issues:
The triple aim depends upon a safety culture
Cleveland Clinic study shows communication skills training improves patient satisfaction
Yale union members petition for job security
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