[A clinical questionnaire for facilitating consultation with the adolescent]

The use of a self-administered questionnaire, filled in by the adolescent before the first encounter with a physician, represents an excellent screening tool. The questionnaire is highly confidential and its use is optional. This paper analyses the way the questionnaire was accepted and used by 361 young patients, during the first year of activity of the Multidisciplinary Unit for Adolescent Health in Lausanne. It shows the kind of problems which were reported by the adolescents, depending on their gender, their age and their reason for visit. The questionnaire serves several purpose: firstly, it outlines the global conception of health which forms the basis of the multidisciplinary approach used within the UMSA. Secondly, it constitutes a kind of guide for younger physicians training in adolescent medicine and allows them to screen in an appropriate period of time a large array of themes pertaining to health problems and symptoms, mental health, well-being, lifestyles and finally personal as well as environmental resources. Finally, it allows the young patient to disclose preoccupation or problems on very personal, intimate matters, which would be difficult to discuss openly in a first face to face interview. The experience gained during nine months shows that the questionnaire is very well accepted and useful. It's content will however be improved, since, in the opinion of both the patients and the staff, it still is too much focused on negative and problematic issues and not enough oriented towards resources and resilience.