From the Guidelines
Healthcare providers should disclose drug information to the mother of a 12-year-old, as parents or legal guardians generally have the right to access their minor child's medical information, including prescribed medications, to ensure proper medication administration and safety. This approach is supported by the most recent and highest quality study, which emphasizes the importance of parental notification and access to medical records, including emergency contact information and medical history 1.
Key Considerations
- The disclosure of drug information to parents or legal guardians is crucial for ensuring the safety and well-being of minor patients, as they are responsible for consenting to treatment and administering medications.
- Healthcare providers should follow local laws and institutional policies regarding minor confidentiality, while also respecting the developing autonomy of the adolescent patient.
- Open communication with parents and family-centered discussions about medications can support better medication adherence and safety for children, while also addressing the child's privacy concerns and developmental stage.
Exceptions and Special Considerations
- Certain jurisdictions may have laws that protect sensitive health information for minors, particularly regarding reproductive health, mental health, or substance abuse treatment.
- Healthcare providers may need to break confidentiality in situations where the minor patient's safety is at risk, such as active suicidal ideation, substance use behaviors, or nonsuicidal self-injurious thoughts and behaviors 1.
- In such cases, healthcare providers should inform the minor adolescent of the need to break confidentiality before doing so, if possible, and involve them in the disclosure process to minimize distress and disruption of treatment alliances.
From the Research
Disclosure of Drug Information
- There is no direct evidence in the provided studies to suggest that drug information must be disclosed to the mother of a 12-year-old.
- The studies primarily focus on the effectiveness of antibiotics, such as amoxicillin, in treating various infections 2, 3, the use of oral antibiotics in bacterial bloodstream infections 4, the development of host-targeted therapeutics against bacterial infections 5, and the use of antimicrobial peptide-based biomaterials in combating multidrug-resistant bacterial infections 6.
- None of the studies address the issue of disclosing drug information to parents or guardians of minors.
- Therefore, there are no research papers to assist in answering this question regarding the disclosure of drug information to the mother of a 12-year-old.