GAPS: an opportunity for nurse practitioners to promote the health of adolescents through clinical preventive services.

Today the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among adolescents originates in social and behavioral determinants. Thus much of adolescent death and disability can be attributed to preventable risk factors. In response, clinical preventive services have been developed by the American Medical Association to shift the focus of care to prevention. Guidelines for Adolescent Preventive Services recommendations address delivery of health services, health guidance, screening, and immunizations. Nurse practitioners are uniquely positioned to promote health and improve the quality of care delivered to adolescents. The purpose of this article is to describe the Guidelines for Adolescent Preventive Services model for clinical preventive services and the role of the nurse practitioner in implementation.