Biomaterial Database

Consent to medical treatment: the mature minor. 2011

Sara Bird

Medico-Legal and Advisory Services, MDA National, Australia. sbird@mdanational.com.au.

Can children and young people consent to their own medical treatment? Consent issues involving children and young people are complex. This article examines the legal obligations of general practitioners when obtaining consent to medical treatment from patients who are less than 18 years of age.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D010342	Patient Acceptance of Health Care	Patients' willingness to receive health care.	Acceptability of Health Care,Health Care Seeking Behavior,Acceptability of Healthcare,Acceptors of Health Care,Health Care Utilization,Nonacceptors of Health Care,Patient Acceptance of Healthcare,Care Acceptor, Health,Care Acceptors, Health,Care Nonacceptor, Health,Care Nonacceptors, Health,Health Care Acceptability,Health Care Acceptor,Health Care Acceptors,Health Care Nonacceptor,Health Care Nonacceptors,Healthcare Acceptabilities,Healthcare Acceptability,Healthcare Patient Acceptance,Healthcare Patient Acceptances,Utilization, Health Care
D002648	Child	A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL.	Children
D003219	Confidentiality	The privacy of information and its protection against unauthorized disclosure.	Patient Data Privacy,Privacy of Patient Data,Privileged Communication,Confidential Information,Secrecy,Communication, Privileged,Communications, Privileged,Data Privacy, Patient,Information, Confidential,Privacy, Patient Data,Privileged Communications
D003276	Contraceptives, Oral	Compounds, usually hormonal, taken orally in order to block ovulation and prevent the occurrence of pregnancy. The hormones are generally estrogen or progesterone or both.	Low-Dose Oral Contraceptive,Oral Contraceptive,Oral Contraceptives,Oral Contraceptives, Low-Dose,Oral Contraceptives, Phasic,Contraceptive, Low-Dose Oral,Contraceptive, Oral,Contraceptives, Low-Dose Oral,Contraceptives, Phasic Oral,Low Dose Oral Contraceptive,Low-Dose Oral Contraceptives,Oral Contraceptive, Low-Dose,Oral Contraceptives, Low Dose,Phasic Oral Contraceptives
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000293	Adolescent	A person 13 to 18 years of age.	Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths
D001315	Australia	The smallest continent and an independent country, comprising six states and two territories. Its capital is Canberra.	Canton and Enderbury Islands,Christmas Island,Christmas Island (Australia)
D012308	Risk Management	The process of minimizing risk to an organization by developing systems to identify and analyze potential hazards to prevent accidents, injuries, and other adverse occurrences, and by attempting to handle events and incidents which do occur in such a manner that their effect and cost are minimized. Effective risk management has its greatest benefits in application to insurance in order to avert or minimize financial liability. (From Slee & Slee: Health care terms, 2d ed)	Hospital Incident Reporting,Incident Reporting, Hospital,Hospital Incident Reportings,Incident Reporting,Incident Reportings, Hospital,Management, Risks,Reporting, Hospital Incident,Reportings, Hospital Risk,Voluntary Patient Safety Event Reporting,Hospital Risk Reporting,Hospital Risk Reportings,Incident Reportings,Management, Risk,Reporting, Hospital Risk,Reporting, Incident,Reportings, Hospital Incident,Reportings, Incident,Risk Reporting, Hospital,Risk Reportings, Hospital,Risks Management
D057828	Informed Consent By Minors	Voluntary authorization by a person not of usual legal age for diagnostic or investigative procedures, or for medical and surgical treatment. (from English A, Shaw FE, McCauley MM, Fishbein DB Pediatrics 121:Suppl Jan 2008 pp S85-7).
D058006	General Practice	Patient-based medical care provided across age and gender or specialty boundaries.	Practice, General