They're a bundle of contradictions, surprises and delights. Because their health-care needs bridge the worlds of pediatrics and adult medicine, they also can be a challenge to pediatricians and family physicians. The Adolescent Medicine Division at Children's Hospital Medical Center of Cincinnati offers resources and support to teens and the physicians who treat them.
Adolescence represents a transition for the individual, the family and society.
We can help families contend with the difficulties, recognize the wonder, and forge new relationships during adolescence. Our responsibilities are to prevent illness and injury during the second decade of life and to promote health habits that will last lifelong. Because the American Academy of Pediatrics charges pediatricians with the care of individuals from birth to 21 years of age, pediatric training programs require residents to spend 25 percent of their time caring for adolescents. The specialty of adolescent medicine includes the management of both inpatients and outpatients, and ranges from routine through complicated care. It crosses departmental lines within and between the medical center, health professional schools and social sciences.