1. Case Summary:
Miss X, 16y/o Chinese young teenager visited her GP for a simple UTI treatment. However, she was recommended by her GP to visit the family planning (FP) clinic for advice regarding contraception. Miss X had started a relationship with her boyfriend early this year and they had been sexually active since then. Miss X reported that she sometimes had unprotected sex but said that she had always been careful and not having sex during her ‘fertile’ period. She is currently well, with no symptoms and signs of any pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases (STIs) and she reported that her partner has no known history of STIs. Her current boyfriend is the only person that she reported having sex with. She also confidently said that …show more content…
In this case, confidentiality is an important issue because Miss X had mentioned several times, to her GP and again in the FP clinic that she wanted no one to know about her sexual history and the use of oral contraception. Although Miss X is 16 y/o, she has the right to have her privacy respected in every circumstances. (Right 1, Health & Disability Commissioner (HDC) Code of Health And Disability Services Consumers’ Rights Regulation (HDSCRR) 1996). In this case, Miss X needed to be reassured that the information she shared would not be disclosed without her knowledge. The nurse in the FP clinic had reassured Miss X that whatever she said will be confidential unless she feels that to do so would be unsafe for Miss X in any way. By discussing this issue, Miss X was seen to be more willingly accepting information and advice from the …show more content…
Given the widely available information from the internet and having friends who were already on the pill, Miss X is aware that she does not need to have a guardian or parent’s consent to be prescribed the oral contraceptives. Under the Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion Act 1977, prescription of contraceptive can be given without parental or guardian consent, but under the discretion of the providers. The principles of Gillick competence can be used here to decide whether Miss X is able to consent to her own medical treatment without parental knowledge and the Fraser guidelines, which has criteria that a doctor can refer to, can assist in decision making for prescribing1,2. Therefore, her GP or the nurse plays an important role in assessing Miss X’s competency in understanding the benefits versus risks of oral contraceptives and prescribing based on Miss X’s best interest of her own health. This was done by the nurse, asking her about her prior knowledge of the pill as well as checking her understanding of new information. She was also being asked to repeat back the instructions on taking the pill to the nurse as a form of assessing her understanding and competency of making informed consent to use the
Miss X, 16y/o Chinese young teenager visited her GP for a simple UTI treatment. However, she was recommended by her GP to visit the family planning (FP) clinic for advice regarding contraception. Miss X had started a relationship with her boyfriend early this year and they had been sexually active since then. Miss X reported that she sometimes had unprotected sex but said that she had always been careful and not having sex during her ‘fertile’ period. She is currently well, with no symptoms and signs of any pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases (STIs) and she reported that her partner has no known history of STIs. Her current boyfriend is the only person that she reported having sex with. She also confidently said that …show more content…
In this case, confidentiality is an important issue because Miss X had mentioned several times, to her GP and again in the FP clinic that she wanted no one to know about her sexual history and the use of oral contraception. Although Miss X is 16 y/o, she has the right to have her privacy respected in every circumstances. (Right 1, Health & Disability Commissioner (HDC) Code of Health And Disability Services Consumers’ Rights Regulation (HDSCRR) 1996). In this case, Miss X needed to be reassured that the information she shared would not be disclosed without her knowledge. The nurse in the FP clinic had reassured Miss X that whatever she said will be confidential unless she feels that to do so would be unsafe for Miss X in any way. By discussing this issue, Miss X was seen to be more willingly accepting information and advice from the …show more content…
Given the widely available information from the internet and having friends who were already on the pill, Miss X is aware that she does not need to have a guardian or parent’s consent to be prescribed the oral contraceptives. Under the Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion Act 1977, prescription of contraceptive can be given without parental or guardian consent, but under the discretion of the providers. The principles of Gillick competence can be used here to decide whether Miss X is able to consent to her own medical treatment without parental knowledge and the Fraser guidelines, which has criteria that a doctor can refer to, can assist in decision making for prescribing1,2. Therefore, her GP or the nurse plays an important role in assessing Miss X’s competency in understanding the benefits versus risks of oral contraceptives and prescribing based on Miss X’s best interest of her own health. This was done by the nurse, asking her about her prior knowledge of the pill as well as checking her understanding of new information. She was also being asked to repeat back the instructions on taking the pill to the nurse as a form of assessing her understanding and competency of making informed consent to use the