This literature review was conducted systematically to identify the gap in knowledge and practice related to the provision of sexual health to adolescents worldwide. The search was limited to peer-reviewed articles published between 2002 and 2018. Thirty-two relevant articles were identified and reviewed for quality assessment by using the Hawker critical appraisal tool. The studies were conducted in Africa, Europe, Asia, Oceania, and the United States of America (USA). The review findings suggested that potential tensions exist between the desire to prevent unwanted pregnancies and the provision of adolescent-friendly sexual health services in societies which disapprove of adolescents' premarital sexual activity, contraception use and abortion services. Healthcare professionals should be aware of comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services as their professional responsibility and the need to manage their own conflicts with regard to fulfilling their role.
Safer sex provision, including contraception information and services, should be made available to adolescents regardless of their marital status in strategies to reduce the incidence of unintended teenage pregnancies and the spread of STIs. In Malaysia, this information is still not being delivered formally to adolescents even though unintended teenage pregnancies and the practice of "baby dumping" are serious public health issues. The aims of this article are to describe the Malaysian context in terms of the need for comprehensive sexual and reproductive health information and treatment for unmarried adolescents. The article presents the key aspects of Malaysian society and the potential influence on the provision and delivery of sexual and reproductive health information and treatment to unmarried Malaysian adolescents that can be a reference for healthcare professionals especially school health nurses. The article also describes the establishment of sheltered homes, baby hatches and unregulated adoption processes as the initiatives being taken to address the issue of unintended teenage pregnancies. This article suggests that the policy and laws that require parental consent for accessing the services need to be reviewed and revised to ensure that specific services are available to adolescents in a safe environment that maintains confidentiality.