Consent In Health Care Essay

When working in a clinical setting, there is no guarantee for how a day will play out; walk-in clinics are arguably one of the most unpredictable environments, but significantly less hectic than a hospital. No matter how much the staff prepares, they can never be entirely sure about who will walk through the door at any given time. One of the most important rules of any medical facility is obtaining consent before treating a patient – there are few exceptions to this. For example, a patient who is in critical condition who is unresponsive, or when there is implied consent; this may be in the form of a client offering their arm for an injection, for instance. Minors must have parental or guardian consent before receiving medical care in most
Other examples of situations where parental consent is not required are noted in the Privacy Rule section of the HIPAA, such as when there is implied or assumed consent, such as when the patient’s life is at risk; a mandatory treatment dictated by law, such as vaccinations; or a court ordered procedure. (Young-Adams & Proctor, 2014) Some minors may be emancipated from their legal parents or guardians, which must also be taken into consideration when seeking consent. Emancipation is defined as someone under the legal age, usually eighteen, but sometimes as old as twenty-one, who is not required to have parental consent for any reason, medical or otherwise. The person is not obligated to follow the direction of their parents, likewise, the parental figures are not held responsible for the wellbeing of the child. Factors such as marriage, self-sufficiency, enlistment in the armed forces, or separate living situations can result in emancipation status; one or more of these conditions must be met for this to occur. (Young-Adams & Proctor, 2014) So long as it is within the law, a child with the right to provide their own consent is authorized to privacy concerning their personal