The perspective of socially vulnerable youth on healthcare services: a Portuguese cross-sectional study.

Abstract

Socially vulnerable adolescents are often forgotten in the healthcare system, which is more prone to manage those who are assigned to the system, leaving others. We aimed to characterise the perception of these patients about preferences and priorities concerning healthcare services in their medical appointments, relevant healthcare topics, and value attributed to the contact with their physicians.This cross-sectional study surveyed a group of adolescents living in institutional settings to enhance a patient-centred approach and, therefore, higher health promotion and better health outcomes for adolescents and young adults.A total of 571 adolescents with a mean age of 17 (55.4% females) answered the survey. Primary healthcare centres were the main location for medical surveillance. The most wanted topics were diet (83%), diseases (82%), and exercise (75%), with less emphasis surrounding topics such as free time, tobacco, and drugs. A significant association was found between valuing physicians' characteristics and perceived doctor skills.This research highlights the pertinence of understanding the priorities and preferences of institutionalised socially vulnerable adolescents to reinforce equity and create a cosy environment for everyone.