Enhancing Healthy Adolescent Development
Purpose and scope
The purpose of this best practice guideline (BPG) is to assist nurses working with youth in a variety of practice settings, i.e. schools, public health units, community health centres, adolescent clinics, hospitals, and in family practice. Recommendations are inclusive of adolescent development across diverse contexts (e.g. cultural, socioeconomic, structural, political.)
Main guideline (including 2010 supplement):
Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario. (2010). Enhancing Healthy Adolescent Development (Revised 2010). Toronto, ON: Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario.
Recommendations
Do you want to learn about and implement the most- up-to-date evidence-based recommendations on this topic with your colleagues? Download and share the full best practice guideline (BPG), Enhancing Healthy Adolescent Development.
See below for a snapshot of the recommendations from this BPG. We strongly suggest you review the full BPG before implementing the recommendations and good practice statements. The BPG also includes further resources to support implementation and evaluation.
Recommendation 1: When working with youth, nursing interactions will be grounded in principles of respect, confidentiality, trust and transparency. Nurses will acknowledge youth’s strengths and potentials while building on collaborative partnerships.
Recommendation 2: Nurses working with youth will utilize a comprehensive, collaborative, multifaceted approach to promote therapeutic partnerships and enhance positive youth development.
Recommendation 3: Nurses will employ youth engagement approaches to foster positive youth development.
Recommendation 4: Nurses will apply the principles of positive youth development in working with youth and other members of the healthcare team to develop the necessary skills and knowledge needed to successfully transition care to the adult-oriented healthcare system.
Recommendation 5: Nursing practice will be informed by evidence-based theoretical models.
Recommendation 6: Nurses engaged in the design, implementation and evaluation of programs for youth will base decisions on evidence reflecting the elements of effective program planning and design.
Recommendation 7: Nurses who work with adolescents will have specific knowledge and skills related to adolescent development, health and well-being.
Recommendation 8: Organizations establish a culture that supports youths’ active engagement in creating a healthy future for themselves and their community.
Recommendation 9: Organizations establish internal policies and practices that support meaningful youth participation.
Recommendation 10: Agencies and funders allocate appropriate staffing and material resources to enable implementation of comprehensive approaches to adolescent programming.
Recommendation 11: Organizations provide educational opportunities for nurses to improve their understanding of adolescent development, health and well-being, and ways to engage youth in meaningful ways.
Recommendation 12: Nurses work in partnership with youth to advocate for healthy public policy and the development, implementation and evaluation of programs that serve to enhance healthy adolescent development. Ministries responsible for health, community, education and recreation must dedicate resources to ensure the implementation and evaluation of services directed at improving the success and well-being of youth across the province.
Recommendation 13: Nurses collaborate with a variety of community partners to promote the comprehensive school health model.
Recommendation 14: Nursing best practice guidelines can be successfully implemented only when there are adequate planning, resources, organizational and administrative supports, as well as appropriate facilitation. Organizations may wish to develop a plan for implementation that includes:
- An assessment of organizational readiness and barriers to implementation.
- Involvement of all members (whether in a direct or indirect supportive function) who will contribute to the implementation process.
- Dedication of a qualified individual to provide the support needed for the education and implementation process.
- Ongoing opportunities for discussion and education to reinforce the importance of best practices.
- Opportunities for reflection on personal and organizational experience in implementing guidelines.
Disclaimer: These guidelines are not binding for nurses, other health providers or the organizations that employ them. The use of these guidelines should be flexible and based on individual needs and local circumstances. They constitute neither a liability nor discharge from liability. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the contents at the time of publication, neither the authors nor the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) gives any guarantee as to the accuracy of the information contained in them or accepts any liability with respect to loss, damage, injury or expense arising from any such errors or omission in the contents of this work.
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Revision status
Current edition published: May 2002 with December 2010 revision
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