Reply:
Approaches to Health Management in Pediatric Primary Care
Although parents would like to know exactly everything their children are doing there is going to be a time where confidentiality comes into play. A few children will talk to their parents about what’s going on in their lives such as sexuality. The best thing to do is to be very honest, open-minded, and close to your child depending on the age group that the child is in.
Confidentiality between a physician and a patient is crucial for optimum health, even when the patient is a minor. Many teenagers wouldn’t tell their physicians the truth if they felt their medical information was shared with their parents. Many teenagers would refuse to use contraception or seek treatment for sexually transmitted illnesses if their parents were required to attend the consultations. Only 20% of teens stated they would talk to a doctor about birth control, drug use, or sexually transmitted illnesses if the doctor was required to disclose the information to their parents in a regional poll of adolescents (Morin, 2019).
The amount of information that can be withheld from parents varies from state to state. When children reach the age of adolescence, they are old enough to enjoy some degree of doctor-patient confidentiality (Hanley, 2018). For the father of the 17-year-old who wants to know whether his child is sexually active, I would explain to him that his child is now a teenager that is almost 18 years old, and the information is confidential. I would advise him to talk to the child and if the child is ok with me explaining things to him then I would be more than happy to talk to him.
If the child is 11 years old and the father asks if his child is sexually active, I would tell him the truth. I say this because the child is only 11 years old, and he needs to know because it could be an adult having sex with this child. This is statutory rape in my book, and something must be done about it. A child that is 11 years old does not have a full understanding of what is going on when it comes to sex even if they allow the person to have sex with them. Therefore, parents should sit with their children and talk to them about certain situations such as if anyone inappropriately touches them to let the parents know. When parents talk to their children, they will feel comfortable telling their parents anything that’s going on with them.
For the 14-year-old child, the parent should be in the room when they are seeing the doctor. Now if the doctor sees that the child is uncomfortable, he may ask the parent to step out for a few minutes. If the child reveals that she is sexually active, this information in my opinion should be reported to the parent. Maybe the doctor might have to report it to child protective service if the person is an adult.
I live in Florida and my state law regarding parental notification is that physicians and other health care practitioners who offer medical treatment to a minor without first receiving written parental consent will be charged with a first-degree misdemeanor beginning July 1, 2021. Having a child’s parents present during an office visit is no longer sufficient proof of consent. Any physician who treats a minor in any situation must first seek written permission (Berg, 2021).
Reference
Berg, D. (2021, July 12). Treating minors under Florida’s new ‘parental consent’ law … Treating Minors Under Florida’s New ‘Parental Consent’ Law. Retrieved November 5, 2021, from https://miamimed.com/news/572974/Treating-minors-under-Floridas-new-parental-consent-law.htm.
Hanley, R. (2018, January 17). Doctor – teen patient confidentiality: What you should know. TrustedChoice.com. Retrieved November 4, 2021, from https://www.trustedchoice.com/insurance-articles/life-health/doctor-teen-confidentiality/.
Morin, A. (2019, June 24). Can your teen get treatment for a sexually transmitted infection without your knowledge? Verywell Family. Retrieved November 4, 2021, from https://www.verywellfamily.com/teens-right-to-confidential-reproductive-health-care-4125234.
