Discussion: Provider-Patient Confidentiality with School-Age Children and Adolescents
The provider role and responsibility concerning the patient’s confidentiality
Patients confidentiality is critical for continuous flow information during the care process. When there is a sense of trust between the healthcare provider and the 17-year old, it will be possible for her to share her inner feelings. It will be helpful to the caregiver since he/she can logically diagnose and provide intervention to the patient. Hence, the healthcare provider has a critical role in ensuring that there is protection to the confidentiality of the patient (Schapiro & Mejia, 2018). The constitution safeguards the rights of the 17-year-old rights to privacy. In this regard, the rights to privacy are critical for the patient. The provider must ensure that the information shared between him/her and the patient remains confidential. It is always a crucial challenge for the providers when they are dealing with adolescents, as in this case study. It is because they are in constant supervision by the parents, which is an issue for the 17-year old. There are circumstances where parents should be allowed to access medical records and information about their children. For example, when there is a possibility of harm. It creates the need for maintaining the rights of the adolescent to privacy and confidentiality. They are the ones to give consent to the parent to access medical information when they feel comfortable.
The response of the provider to facilitate the care of the patient
The first step that the providers should take into consideration is introducing him/herself and establish a rapport with the seventeen-year-old. It is critical to ensure that the patient is comfortable with the environment. The provider should address the patient with his or her name. During the first part of the interview, the healthcare provider should use a general conversation to make sure that the seventeen-year-old is comfortable. The provider should then clarify his or her role with the patient. The care process should be in a place where there is no distraction (The SOAP format enhances communication, 2009). The care provider will be clarifying the kind of information that should be given to the other family members like the mother of the seventeen-year-old. Also, the healthcare provider must reveal to the client the limits of her confidentiality. The healthcare provider should be aware of her development stage and use effective communication. The presence of a parent is critical when dealing with children; however, the adolescent in the case study will not feel comfortable (Soleimanpour, Geierstanger & Brindis, 2017).
Interventions and management strategies useful to the patient
There are possibilities that a female individual who is experiencing abdominal pain and missed periods may be a sign of pregnancy. However, different factors may be involved in affecting hormones in the body of seventeen-year-old. Hormonal fluctuations may also be known to cause similar problems. As a result, the first step to determine the cause of the problem is to take a pregnancy test (Chassiakos et al., 2016). After this, the provider will be able to diagnose the condition. If there is an underlying problem causing the abdominal pain and missed period, he or she should be able to treat the problem. Some of the medications include birth control pills, pituitary hormones, and thyroid hormones are the ones that should be prescribed by the doctor. If the pregnancy test is positive, it is the responsibility of the care provider to provide options for the seventeen-year-old. She may consider involving her mother, as she will be included in caring for the child. During the interview process, the care provider should offer appropriate nutritional counseling. It is because the iron stores of a teen are not sufficient to serve both the mother and the child. Iron supplements may be useful in improving the iron stores in the body.
References
Chassiakos, Y. L. R., Radesky, J., Christakis, D., Moreno, M. A., & Cross, C. (2016). Children and adolescents and digital media. Pediatrics, 138(5), e20162593.
Schapiro, N. A., & Mejia, J. (2018). Adolescent confidentiality and women’s health: History, Rationale, and current threats. Nursing Clinics, 53(2), 145-156.
The SOAP format enhances communication. (2009, June 1). ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/26829416_The_SOAP_format_enhances_communication
Soleimanpour, S., Geierstanger, S., & Brindis, C. D. (2017). Adverse childhood experiences and resilience: addressing the unique needs of adolescents. Academic pediatrics, 17(7), S108-S114.