reproductive health services for adolescents - Pathfinder International

Module 16/Unit 12
Specific Objective #1: Identify the essential components of routine
prenatal care for adolescents
CONTENT
Knowledge/Attitudes/Skills
PHYSICAL CARE OF A PREGNANT
ADOLESCENT
How is providing care for an adolescent
different from providing care for an older
pregnant woman
Risk Assessment
Assess whether you think your patient is
at high risk. Your adolescent patient is
already at risk if she is under 16 years of
age. To determine additional risk, take a
history and look for the following:
• Parity: first pregnancy.
• Delivery site: not planned or
prepared.
• Family support: not enough food,
rest, money, or help with work.
• History of anemia.
• History of abdominal surgery.
• History of genital tract surgery or
circumcision.
• History of blood transfusion.
• History of STIs including HIV/AIDS.
• History of sickle cell disease, heart
disease, diabetes, epilepsy, asthma,
or tuberculosis.
• History of drug or alcohol use.
• Received Tetanus Toxoid.
Training/Learning Methods
(Time Required)
TRAINER PRESENTATION AND
BRAINSTORMING (40 MIN.)
The trainer should:
• Remind Px that we already know that
pregnant adolescents are at higher
risk for premature labor, hemorrhage,
obstructed or prolonged labor, irondeficiency
anemia, spontaneous
abortion and resorting to unsafe
abortion.
• Prepare a flip chart.
• Ask Px to brainstorm what
information they would collect from
an adolescent to determine her level
of risk.
• Write down Px suggestions on the
flipchart.
Ask Px, why is each piece of
information important
• Using a second piece of flipchart, ask
Px to brainstorm what physical and
laboratory examinations they would
do to address risk factors common to
adolescents.
• Using a third piece of flipchart, ask Px
to brainstorm what should be
included in the prenatal counseling
session.
• Supplement answers with information
in the content section on the left-hand
side of the page.
Pathfinder International
158
Adolescent Curriculum