Health Literate and Patient-Empowered Youth: How do we support the next generation?

When I received the “Your Test Results are Now Available” email, my piqued curiosity soon turned to unbridled frustration. Complying with the email’s simple instructions, I clicked on the link to view my 13-year old daughter’s recent lab results but was met with the following message, “You do not have access to view this information.”

As is it turns out, while I am still able to schedule appointments and pay copays for my young teen, my daughter must actually provide her explicit permission for me to view her health records and test results.

In a crisis situation, this brick wall of confidentiality would have been mind-numbingly irritating. However, in this case, after an initial frustration subsided, the roadblock gave me pause.

Since her toddler years we’ve been discussing healthy habits.

Whether it was a visit for a well-child check-up or for an injury or illness, I have always encouraged both of my children to answer physicians’ questions directly (rather than my answering for them).  

And, at the end of every visit, I always prompt, “Do YOU have any more questions for the doctor?”

But I’d always heard those questions and I’d always heard those answers.

Now my daughter was of an age where she could and should be able to question medical professionals on her own. 

And I understand that, while my husband and I have raised our children with open communication on tough issues, there will no doubt be conversations she would rather have with her physician and not her mother. Realizing that she would one day need to navigate the healthcare system solo, I began to question whether or not I had raised her to be a health-literate and empowered patient?

As parents and as educators, we can obviously lead by example on the health responsibility front but some honest to goodness conversation never hurts.
Please join me on Twitter on December 18, 2014 at 9 a.m. PST for #KareoChat where we will discuss the nuances of how to raise our next generation to be knowledgeable and empowered healthcare consumers and generally health literate.

•  At what age/situation(s) should children be involved in conversations regarding their care? Checkups? Flu shots? Immunizations?
•  How can we involve children in decisions regarding their health and medical care at an age appropriate level?
• Does technology play a part in educating today’s youth to be empowered patients & healthcare consumers? How?
• What else can parents do to raise educated and empowered healthcare consumers and patients?