Faculty Response to Prioritizing Confidentiality- Teens and STI Testing

Faculty Response to Prioritizing Confidentiality- Teens and STI Testing

Whether or not parental consent should be necessary for patients under 18 seeking treatment for STIs is a complex subject with solid arguments on both sides. On the one hand, requiring parental consent might ensure that parents are informed of their children’s medical choices and can offer the required support and direction. Nonetheless, it is crucial to understand that many teenagers may not feel comfortable talking to their parents about their sexual behaviour owing to worries about judgment, privacy, or possible consequences. This can result in postponed or avoided medical attention, which might increase transmission rates and leave illnesses untreated in the case of STIs.

Worries about confidentiality significantly hamper minors’ access to healthcare, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have noted (Swedler & Alderman, 2023). Teenagers who worry that their parents may learn about their sexual health difficulties may decide not to get the appropriate medical care. To provide confidential health services to consenting adolescents and young adults who have insurance through their parents’ coverage, in line with the recommendations of professional organizations like the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, seems reasonable (Pampati et al., 2019). This viewpoint acknowledges the necessity of balancing minors’ rights to access sensitive healthcare services and the significance of parental participation in their children’s health.

Protecting teenagers’ well-being should be prioritized while honouring their autonomy and unique situations to guarantee that adolescents seeking STI testing and treatment receive timely and appropriate care without worrying that their privacy will be violated or suffer negative repercussions (Owen et al., 2020). Confidential health services must be made available to them. This strategy can help prevent the spread of STIs and improve teenagers’ general sexual and reproductive health.

References

Owen, M. C., Wallace, S. B., & Adolescence, C. O. (2020). Advocacy and collaborative health care for justice-involved youth. Pediatrics, 146(1). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-1755

Pampati, S., Liddon, N., Dittus, P. J., Adkins, S. H., & Steiner, R. J. (2019). Confidentiality matters but how do we improve implementation in adolescent sexual and reproductive health care? Journal of Adolescent Health, 65(3), 315–322. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2019.03.021

Swedler, J., & Alderman, E. M. (2023). Special issues in adolescent medicine: Medical and legal aspects of care in adolescent medicine. Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology, 66(2), 298–311. https://doi.org/10.1097/

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

We’ll write everything from scratch

---

respond to my professor

Hi Shajaira:

You discussed marginalized patients in your post. One such group I want to discuss with all of you is the patients who are under 18 years of age.

Should parental consent for those patients who are under the age of 18 years of age and who are being seen for an STI be required? Many teens will not admit to being sexually active if they are aware that their parents are going to be involved.

One of the biggest barriers to “reaching” teenagers is that there are confidentiality concerns. Research published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that one of every eight sexually experienced teenagers and young adults who are on their parent’s health insurance plan said they would not go for healthcare advice related to sexual or reproductive issues because their parents might find out. Research has consistently suggested confidentiality may serve as a barrier to accessing STD testing and treatment services in this age group.

The Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists are in agreement in their stance that clinicians should be able to provide confidential health services to consenting adolescents and young adults who have insurance through their parents’ coverage. Would you agree with this stance? Why or Why Not? (open to anyone for discussion)