Background:

Many individuals and institutions have important contributions to make to promoting healthy development in adolescents and in preventing and responding to health problems in them, if and when they arise. Health-care providers (HCP) have important contributions to make in both these areas. However, situation analyses and needs assessment exercises carried out in different parts of the world point to shortcomings in their professional capabilities and in their “human qualities” as a result of which they are unable and sometimes unwilling to deal with adolescents in an effective and sensitive manner.

To address this need, the Department of Child and Adolescent Health and Development (CAH) of the World Health Organization (WHO) has worked with the Commonwealth Medical Association, UNICEF and UNFPA to develop the Orientation Programme (OP) on adolescent health for health-care providers.

Objective:

To introduce and orient health-care providers to the special characteristics of adolescence and the appropriate approaches to address selected priority health needs and problems of adolescents. This aim will be achieved through a series of core and optional modules. While organizations, institutions and other entities that wish to implement the Orientation Programme are required to conduct all core modules, the optional modules can be selected according to local needs and priorities. Available in English, French, and Russian from the WHO.