Global Standards for quality health-care services for adolescents
WHO
2015 :: Number of pages: 40, 28, 100, 132
WHO reference number: 978 92 4 154933 2
Volume 1: Standards and criteria pdf, 918kb
Volume 2: Implementation guide pdf, 867kb
Volume 3: Tools to conduct quality and coverage measurement surveys to collect data about compliance with the global standards pdf, 887kb
Volume 4: Scoring sheets for data analysis pdf, 927kb
Policy brief pdf, 770kb
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Overview
Global initiatives are urging countries to prioritize quality as a way of reinforcing human rights-based approaches to health. Yet evidence from both high- and low-income countries shows that services for adolescents are highly fragmented, poorly coordinated and uneven in quality. Pockets of excellent practice exist, but, overall, services need significant improvement and should be brought into conformity with existing guidelines.
WHO/UNAIDS Global Standards for quality health care services for adolescents aim to assist policy-makers and health service planners in improving the quality of health-care services so that adolescents find it easier to obtain the health services that they need to promote, protect and improve their health and well-being.

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Press Release
WHO and UNAIDS launch new standards to improve adolescent care
GENEVA, 6 October 2015—New Global Standards for quality health-care services for adolescents developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNAIDS aim to help countries improve the quality of adolescent health care.

Existing health services often fail the world’s adolescents (10-19-year-olds). Many adolescents who suffer from mental health disorders, substance use, poor nutrition, intentional injuries and chronic illness do not have access to critical prevention and care services. Meanwhile, many behaviours that have a lifelong impact on health begin in adolescence.

“These standards provide simple yet powerful steps that countries – both rich and poor – can immediately take to improve the health and wellbeing of their adolescents, reflecting the stronger focus on adolescents in the new Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health that was launched in New York in September,” says Dr Anthony Costello, Director of Maternal, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health at WHO.

Adolescents form a unique group, rapidly developing both physically and emotionally but are often dependent on their parents or guardians. WHO and UNAIDS Global Standards for quality health-care services for adolescents recommend making services more “adolescent friendly”, providing free or low-cost consultations, and making medically accurate age-appropriate health information available. They also highlight the need for adolescents to be able to access services without necessarily having to make an appointment or requiring parental consent, safe in the knowledge that any consultation remains confidential, and certain that they will not experience discrimination…

…“AIDS is the leading cause of death among adolescents in Africa and the second primary cause of death among adolescents globally,” says Dr Mariângela Simão, Director of Rights, Gender, Prevention and Community Mobilization at UNAIDS. “All adolescents, including key populations, have a right to the information and services that will empower them to protect themselves from HIV.” …

…The Global Standards for quality health-care services for adolescents call for an inclusive package of information, counselling, diagnostic, treatment and care services that go beyond the traditional focus on sexual and reproductive health.

Adolescents should be meaningfully involved in planning, monitoring and providing feedback on health services and in decisions regarding their own care.

More than 25 low- and middle-income countries have already adopted national standards for improving adolescent health services.

The global standards from WHO and UNAIDS are built on research from these countries, as well as feedback from health providers and more than 1000 adolescents worldwide. They are accompanied by an implementation and evaluation guide that outlines concrete steps that countries can take to improve health care for adolescents.