Cofidentiality and Adolescent Health

To begin I feel it worthy to give a definition of confidentiality in health care settings. “Confidentiality in a health care setting is defined as an agreement between patient and provider that information discussed during or after the encounter will not be shared with other parties without the explicit permission of the patient” (Sigman, G., Silber, T., Enlish, A., Gans, J., 1997, p. 409). Why is an adult of eighteen years any different than a child of seventeen? How can a

Honestly though, how can a province label all teens unfit to consent to medical practices? Society is constantly bombarding teens to grow up and act like an adult. Make mature choices, decide what education you need to fulfill a career that is to consume your adult life. Is it fair to force such decisions yet hold back on such a personal issue as health care? Provinces which label teens under 18 as unfit to consent to medical practices are the same provinces with soaring teen pregnancy rates. How can law dictate that a minor who has a child can consent to care for her child but not for herself? If a teen becomes a mother, she is then able to consent to care for her child, but perhaps not to herself. This would regard such laws preposterous. There is a loophole however which recognizes that “a mature minor who is under the minimum age specified in the statute consents to treatment in a hospital in the absence of parental consent (a therapeutic abortion for example), the consent will be valid vis-à-vis the treating physician and the hospital” (Davis, V., Mykitiuk, R., 1999, p. 213). Physicians must hold some biases with naming an adolescent immature as they are the ones that take advantage of these loopholes. In either situation, however, the health care professional should discuss with the patient the importance of involving their parents in health care decisions. Not only to support parental rights, but also for the loving support that the parents can give.

mother of sixteen able to birth her child and make health care decisions for that child but not for themselves?

Ideally a physician shall include the parents in the decision making of adolescent health care. The adolescent would be in complete agreeance and an informal contract is put in place between the physician and the patient. To decrease chances of broken trust when dealing with treatment of adolescents, physicians should sit down with both the child and the parent and discuss confidentiality issues. The physician should discuss the legal, personal, and ethical veiws on the suject and the conditions under which confidentiality might be breached. Blind adherence to absolute confidentiality, or absence of confidentiality (in deference to parental wishes), is neither desirable nor required by ethics or law (Sigman, et al., 1997).

The second argument bases its foundations on the morality of distancing the parents from decision making that could affect their child’s well being. The AOCG (1998) believes, “the involvement of a concerned adult can contribute to the health and success of an adolescent” (p.2). But, there is no doubt respecting the wishes of an adolescent patient can be at odds with the interests of the parents. Many parents believe that allowing confidentiality with teens promote deception and that they interfere with the parental decision-making authority that is a parent’s right and responsibility (O’Sullivan, A. and Krisman-Scott, M., 1999). During the formative years, no one including the state

Some topics in this essay:
Du Gas, Davis Mykitiuk, O’Sullivan Krisman-Scott, Esson Ronaldson, , Jean Piaget’s, Enlish Gans, Erik Erikson, health care, Consent Act, et al, du gas, health care providers, al 1999, care providers, et al 1999, sigman et al, sigman et, gas et, al 1997, gas et al, et al 1997, parental consent, parental control, BW Esson,