Biomaterial Database

Treating adolescents. Legal and ethical considerations. 1990

A English

Adolescent Health Care Project, National Center for Youth Law, San Francisco, California.

Treating adolescents in the health care system raises significant legal and ethical issues related to consent for treatment, confidentiality of communications and records, and payment for care. The law provides many opportunities for adolescents to consent to their own care and offers significant protections of confidentiality. Publicly funded programs provide access to free care for some adolescents, but financial considerations continue to limit access for many poor and low-income adolescents. In addition to legal concerns, serious ethical dilemmas arise, particularly with respect to treatment of special populations of adolescents. Resolution of the legal and ethical questions requires cooperation of professionals from many disciplines.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007258	Informed Consent	Voluntary authorization, by a patient or research subject, with full comprehension of the risks involved, for diagnostic or investigative procedures, and for medical and surgical treatment.	Consent, Informed
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
D004992	Ethics, Medical	The principles of professional conduct concerning the rights and duties of the physician, relations with patients and fellow practitioners, as well as actions of the physician in patient care and interpersonal relations with patient families.	Medical Ethics
D006296	Health Services	Services for the diagnosis and treatment of disease and the maintenance of health.	Services, Health,Health Service
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