Parents Unsure Whether Older Teens Can Make Good Medical Decisions

iStock/Thinkstock(ANN ARBOR, Mich.) — Old enough to vote. Old enough to join the military. Not old enough to pick out a doctor?

Although seven in 10 parents believe that by the time a child reaches 18 they should move to an adult-focused primary care provider, just 30 percent say their kids are no longer being seen by their pediatrician.

Researchers at the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital made this discovery in their national poll of parents with children ages 13 to 30.

The problem seems to be a lack of faith in a child’s ability to handle their own health care responsibilities.

For instance, many parents with kids’ between the ages of 16-19 didn’t think these teens were capable enough to make a doctor’s appointment or refill a prescription.

Of those with children 18-19, half of parents were unsure whether their kids could fill out a medical questionnaire while less than 30 percent were confident in their youngsters’ understanding of what their insurance covers.

The bottom line, according to study author Emily Fredericks, is for parents to teach their children to be self-sufficient by getting them involved in making appointments, refilling prescriptions and asking questions about their insurance and health care providers.

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