Confidentiality Protected
Youth-Friendly Practices
Protecting confidentiality is important, especially as adolescents feel concerned about the disclosure of sensitive health information, including sexual behavior.
Key Foundations
Strategies related to assessment, policy, and environment
Equipping Teams
Strategies that build clinic staff capacity
Service Delivery
Strategies to strengthen processes, procedures, and systems involved in delivering clinical services
Engaging Adolescent Patients and Families
Strategies to educate and build productive partnerships with adolescents and their families+ (These strategies recognize the important role that parents can play in relation to ASRH, even while protecting confidentiality remains a cornerstone of adolescent care).
Strategies
Key Foundations
Implementation Tips
- Ensure compliance with federal and state confidentiality and consent laws
Tools & Resources
Equipping Teams
Implementation Tips
- Train all staff, including front desk and financial staff, on confidentiality for adolescents
- Ensure content includes the following topics:
- Federal and state laws related to confidentiality and minor’s rights to consent
- Common issues that may break confidentiality (e.g., billing, explanation of benefits) and strategies to address
- Strategies for talking with adolescents about confidentiality and the limits of confidentiality (e.g., cases of potential harm to self or others)
- Skills for providing confidential care while also encouraging communication with parents, when appropriate
Tools & Resources
Information on State Laws
Care Team Member Training
Service Delivery
Implementation Tips
- Use process mapping techniques and co-design to document current clinic workflow and identify opportunities when the care team can meet alone with the patient
Tools & Resources
Service Delivery
Implementation Tips
- Use features in the electronic health record to protect confidentiality, such as marking a record confidential and implementing security access controls on progress notes, to reduce the chance of information being disclosed through the patient portal, staff, claims, and patient statements
Service Delivery
Implementation Tips
- Conduct periodic chart audits to identify gaps in care or concerns around confidentiality, as well as to identify who in the clinic needs additional training or education
Tools & Resources
Engaging Adolescent Patients and Families
Implementation tips
- Place posters and pamphlets in the waiting and exam rooms where adolescents can see them
- Include in education and information materials for adolescents and parents
- Mail or provide parents a standard letter about talking to adolescents 1-1 when patient reaches adolescence
- Be mindful and respectful of community norms and values with regard to time alone and consider potential parental mistrust of care team members and reluctance to leave children alone with them
