Minors & Medicine Aaron Fleming Alex Stone Ava Tompkins Brad Herzlich

Sociologist AGAINST CONFIDENTIAL HEALTH CARE Confidential care for minors authorizes the adolescent to make his/her own decisions when they may not be prepared to. Promotes dishonesty between youth and parents. Interferes with the parental decision-making authority that is a parent’s right and responsibility. Parents have a right to know and take part in decisions influencing their child's health and well-being.

Sociologist FOR CONFIDENTIAL HEALTH CARE fear of embarrassment, disapproval, and/or violence parent may be cause or focus for adolescent’s situation adolescent values privacy and independence more teens will seek help when they know that confidentiality is assured. Only 45% of adolescents surveyed would seek care for depression if parental notification was required. o Less than 20% would seek care associated with birth control, STDs, or drug use if parental notice was required.

Sociologist For Confidential Health Care confidentiality  teens honest with doctors  more effective/accurate treatment physicians strongly support confidentiality and minors’ rights. Of the physicians surveyed, 75 percent supported confidential treatment for adolescents. adolescents must learn to assume greater responsibility for their own health care. As the child matures, the level of confidentiality should also increase. With confidentiality, incidence of STDs will decrease with treatment. Problem needing treatment is against family values/religion. - Mandatory parental consent can delay adolescents from getting timely medical care and intensify the risks related with an existing health problem.

Lawyer Minor: any person under 18. Emancipation Statute: attain adulthood before legal age. –Financially independent. –Free of care and control. –Living independently. –Varies down to county level.

Lawyer Informed Consent: treatment authorization given by the patient to the physician. Parental Consent: parent’s choice. Parental Notification: parent must be informed, but do not have choice. Minors must have parental consent before receiving medical treatment, exceptions: –Emancipated. –High school graduate. –Married or has been pregnant. –Type of treatment.

Lawyer Emergency—no consent needed Abortion always requires parental consent. Test/treat STDs—age 12. Drug/Alcohol—minor consent, no notification. Inpatient care—over 14, minor’s consent. –Parental notification. Outpatient—over 14, minor’s consent. –No parental notification. Confidentiality: when minor has consent.

Scientist First DO NO HARM!!!!!!!!!!!!! Doctor-Patient relationships are extremely important and crucial... means for keeping things confidential and not informing parents

Scientist An eight-year-old boy walks into the ED saying he was riding his bicycle home from school and fell on his wrist. He lives only two blocks away, and because his wrist hurt, he decided to stop by the ED to determine whether it needs any treatment. The admitting clerk attempts, but is unable, to reach his parents. The policy of this particular hospital is that minors may be seen and treated, even without parental consent, if two physicians declare a situation to be a medical emergency.

Scientist The child received at least minimal medical treatment. In this case an x-ray would be needed. They have the right to give an x-ray for if the parent was there and refused the x-ray it would be a sign of child neglect.

Scientist A 15-year-old boy comes to the ED because he thinks that he has venereal disease. He does not want his parents to know, so he asks the admitting clerk not to call them for permission to treat. He says he will pay for the emergency visit with his own money.

Scientist The should check him even without consent because if they insist on consent he could leave and not get the appropriate treatment which would cause him harm. At age 15 he is close to maturity and would be considered a mature minor especially since he came in to get check anyways. If he does not have a venereal disease then there is no need to notify the parents. If he does have it doctors should tell him the treatments available and convincingly ask for consent to inform his parents. If treatment has possible harmful side effects then the parents must be notified even without his consent to notify them. If the treatment does not have any harmful side effects they are allowed to proceed and not tell his parents.

Educator