Evidence-based Practice Guidelines and Ethical Considerations Essay

Evidence-based Practice Guidelines and Ethical Considerations Essay

Evidence-based Practice Guidelines and Ethical Considerations Essay

The case scenario 4 si about a 17-year-old girl whose father requires her to undergo a pregnancy test, but she is hesitant. First, the health assessment information to be obtained about the patient includes sexual activity history, use of birth control methods, information about sexually transmitted diseases, and vaccination information. For example, the US Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, HIV, and other sexually transmitted diseases (USPTFS, 2021).

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Secondly, confidentiality and consent laws consider children 12 years and over competent enough to make certain health decisions (Jesus, 2022). Although the laws vary from one state to another, most states recognize the self-determination of children in contributing to decisions about their health. In this scenario, I would explain to the father that the adolescent is big enough to make her health decisions, especially those concerning reproductive health. Hence, she should not be forced to take a pregnancy test because the law allows her to consent to such tests. Additionally, if she consents to the test, the results and other outcomes of reproductive health tests are confidential and can only be shared with the father if the girl consents to it (Jesus, 2022).

Similarly, evidence-based practice guidelines concerning testing adolescents concerning reproduction issues and sexually transmitted diseases stress the importance of confidentiality and adolescents’ consent. For example, adolescents have a right to seek information and acquire contraceptives without their parents’ consent, and the information should remain confidential. Additionally, best practice evidence also supports conducting health assessment of adolescents in the absence of their parents to enable them to open up since there are some information that they feel comfortable divulging in the presence of the parents (Srinath et al., 2019). Thus, to ensure that the patient is comfortable during the health assessment, I would request the father to excuse himself.

References

Jesus, V. D. (2022). Who’s the Boss? Ethical Dilemmas in the Treatment of Children and Adolescents. Journal of Psychiatry, https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.focus.20210037.

Srinath, S., Jacob, P., Sharma, E., & Gautam, A. (2019). Clinical Practice Guidelines for Assessment of Children and Adolescents. Indian J Psychiatry, 61(Suppl 2), 158–175.

USPTFS. (2021). Recommendations for Well-Woman Care. US Preventive Task Force Services.