Health e-Check/Talk Tools integration (Ozer E, PhD, Berna M BA, Buckelew S, MD, Giovanelli A, PhD, Sieving R, PhD RN, Mehus C, PhD)

Health e-Check/Talk Tools integration (Ozer E, PhD, Berna M BA, Buckelew S, MD, Giovanelli A, PhD, Sieving R, PhD RN, Mehus C, PhD)

Health e Check (Jasik et al., 2016), originally developed by Ozer and colleagues through funding from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), is a behavioral/emotional screening tool for clinical settings completed by Adolescents and Young Adults (AYAs) immediately before a visit. Screening results generate a report to clinicians to guide them to respond to a range of behavioral/emotional health areas during the visit, consistent with preventive care guidelines. Health e-Check has been integrated into the electronic health record (EHR) at the UCSF Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine Clinic.

TALK (Toolkit for Adolescent Care) builds the capacity of primary care clinicians who provide care to adolescent patients to have productive, friendly conversations with young people and their families around psychosocial and sexual health topics. Implemented and tested in primary care clinics in rural Minnesota, and building on the U of MN Prevention Research Center’s earlier CASH study (revealing that many parents and teens want to talk with their primary care clinicians about these topics but lack the opportunity), TALK includes three components: (1) printed conversation starters called TALK Tools, (2) brief communication skills training for clinicians, and (3) scripting and support for standardizing time alone as part of an adolescent visit.

TALK Tools are 1-page conversation starters on 12 topics (such as healthy sleep, mental health, healthy decisions about sex). The tools are practical, user-friendly resources, grounded in scientific research and best practices. TALK Tools provide a basic conversation guide, example questions and scripts, and links to additional resources related to the topic. UMN PRC researchers worked closely with healthcare professionals, parents, and young people to make sure that the TALK research reflects the realities of the individuals who implement and benefit from these tools.

TALK and TALK Tools have been integrated into Health e-Check so that clinicians are linked to resources on relevant topics based on AYA Health e-Check screening results.

Jasik, C. B., Berna, M., Martin, M., & Ozer, E. M. (2016). Teen preferences for clinic-based behavior screens: who, where, when, and how?. Journal of Adolescent Health, 59(6), 722-724.

Mehus C, Berna M, Buckelew S, Sinha A, Ozer E. Strategies to Promote Adolescent Health through Effective Clinician-Parent-Adolescent Communication