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(Ivanhoe Newswire) A computer program may be a good way for doctors to spot risky behavior in pre-teens and teenagers. However, a recent study shows doctors need to read the results of the program right before they meet face-to-face with the kids.
Researchers arrived at those conclusions after testing a computer program in physician waiting rooms. About 880 kids between the ages of 11 and 20 completed the Health eTouch screening on a computer touch screen in 2005 and 2006. Clinics were then randomly assigned to one of two groups. In the first, doctors saw the screening results before the kids were seen for their appointment. In the second, they saw the results two or three days later.
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Nearly 60 percent of the kids screened positive for at least one risky behavior, such as injury risk, depression, or substance abuse. When doctors received immediate results, 68 percent of kids were identified as having a problem. But when doctors didnt receive the results till a few days later, only 52 percent of troubled kids were correctly identified.
Routine behavioral screening, although critical in identifying and addressing high-risk behaviors, often does not occur or is limited due to the time constraints and competing demands facing primary care physicians, study author Kelly Kelleher, M.D., from Nationwide Childrens Hospital and The Ohio State University College of Medicine, was quoted as saying. Our research has found that recent advances in information technology, such as the Health eTouch system, and the immediate reporting of computerized screening results may help overcome barriers to behavioral screening.
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SOURCE: Pediatrics, published online June 2, 2008
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
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