Reducing Adolescent Sexual and Mental Health Disparities by Increasing Access to Telemedicine and Mobile Care
Condition: Health Care Utilization
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Investigators will attend a series of community outreach events that provide/demonstrate
      telemedicine and the Children's Mercy Mobile Unit which is equipped to provide direct patient
      care. Investigators will engage up to 12 teen peer leaders to encourage healthcare-seeking
      behaviors and mobilize their social networks to attend outreach events. At all events, the
      mobile unit will be available for teens to (a) demonstrate the mobile unit and telehealth
      experience; (b) learn about Sexual and Reproductive Health/Mental Health (SRH/MH) and local
      care resources; (c) register for future telemedicine care; (d) acquire free over-the-counter
      emergency contraception, condoms, and pregnancy tests.
    

Detailed description: 
      AccessKCTeen is a pilot clinical outreach program that uses Children Mercy's Mobile Unit and
      Telemedicine to demonstrate and increase access to SRH and MH. AccessKCTeen intends to focus
      on these central activities:

        1. Education based on a peer-leader model: In collaboration with community-based partners,
           investigators will identify and train approximately 12 peer leaders in disseminating
           information and resources for MH/SRH to their social networks. Peer leaders may
           disseminate information in the form of sharing curated online resources or mobilizing
           friends to attend live educational events. Peer leaders will also help connect their
           friends to resources by spreading information and encouraging friends to attend CM
           mobile unit demonstrations. Investigators will use text messaging to engage peers in
           these educational events and share general health resources.

        2. Mobile Unit and Telemedicine Demonstration Events: The mobile unit will be present at
           community events to demonstrate how in-person care could work on the unit as well as how
           telemedicine works. Investigators will answer questions and help adolescents get
           registered for telemedicine.
    

Intervention name(s): Peer Leader Model
Intervention type(s): Other
Intervention description(s): Teens will have an opportunity to interact with established peer leaders that are a part of the AccessKCTeen program. These leaders will receive a baseline training of their role, sexual and mental health. They will also receive health education and engage with a peer liason via text messages throughout the study.
Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: We will assign participants a Telemedicine or In-person Mobile unit card as they enroll in the study at events. Teens with a telemedicine card will get education exposure to telemedicine with a video and an ipad that demonstrates a pretend telehealth visit. Teens with an In-person mobile unit card will have the opportunity to learn how a health visit can be done on the unit with a health care provider.
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Health Services Research
Keywords: teen program; sexual health; mental health; AccessKCTeen