Disclosure of pateint confidentiality

securityguy

Unfortunately, there is a subset of people in the NHS who believe that all teenagers are either pregnant or lying about not being pregnant, and that all hospital appointments, even for broken legs, are actually proxies for issues around pregnancy. As adults, we just tell people like that to get stuffed. But as fifteen year olds, we can't and don't.

Morganarla

I had something very similar happen to me when I was pregnant with DD at 17.

I really, really wish that I had made a complaint as it caused significant explosive behaviour from my family, which is not what I needed at the time.

OP, when things are calmer at home, PLEASE find the time to complain.

Person_one

securityguy wrote: »

Unfortunately, there is a subset of people in the NHS who believe that all teenagers are either pregnant or lying about not being pregnant, and that all hospital appointments, even for broken legs, are actually proxies for issues around pregnancy. As adults, we just tell people like that to get stuffed. But as fifteen year olds, we can't and don't.

Doctors absolutely have to consider pregnancy when they see a woman of childbearing age showing certain symptoms. Even if they say they're a virgin they still need to check because unfortunately, a lot of girls and young women either lie, are in denial, or just don't realise they could be. The consequences of not performing a simple urine test can be tragic.

OP, I agree with the consensus, please do make a complaint (and go straight to a formal complaint to the chief exec, don't waste time with PALS in this case). That's how things change, and they really cocked up here.

fluffnutter

Hanky_Panky wrote: »

Please don't waste the hospital's time ! It could be better spent on patient care.

Really until she reaches 18 she is still a child in law regardless of your personal view and the hospital has acted correctly by informing you.

No, they haven't. She's entitled to patient confidentiality for something as sensitive as a pregnancy. I'm absolutely amazed the letter was addressed to the OP. What a cock-up, frankly.

Saturnalia

Definitely complain. This should never have happened. Your daughter had the right to tell you as and when she felt right, or not to tell you at all if she preferred, and instead you had to find out like this.

Thank goodness you are on your daughter's side, and you sound like you are both coping well with the shock. You sound like a great mum.

You certainly should complain to the top brass at the hospital, as in some families this letter could have lead to the girl's life being put in danger. As as Miss_Independent said, not being able to seek confidential medical advice could lead to girls trying to conceal a pregnancy which is also dangerous.

securityguy

Person_one wrote: »

Even if they say they're a virgin they still need to check because unfortunately, a lot of girls and young women either lie, are in denial, or just don't realise they could be. The consequences of not performing a simple urine test can be tragic.

For some value of "tragic". To take the cases cited above, a Pelvic CT scan, with no precautions, has about a 0.1% chance of causing a cancer in the fetus. Given the rarity with which this imaging is done on people of that age, the relative rarity within that sub-population of them being pregnant and lying/denying/etc, and the rate at which young women who find themselves pregnant will have terminations, that might be one excess cancer in a live birth per year, if that. It's possible to argue that the harm caused by randomly accusing sixteen year olds of lying about their sexual history, in front of their parents, is justified to remove that risk, but it would require some decent epidemiology to make the case. Once doctors start telling patients that they're liars, there are other harms that need to be balanced against very small statistical benefits. And that's before considering that delaying imaging may itself not be risk-free, especially in emergency or trauma cases.

Person_one

I was thinking more along the lines of the consequences of undiagnosed ectopic pregnancies, to be honest.

Saturnalia

I've needed medical treatment or prescription drugs where the doctor has asked "is there any chance you could be pregnant?" and doctors have always taken my word for it when I have said there's no way I could be. I've never been made to take a test to confirm it.

I'm amazed doctors don't take people's word for it, or is this only when the patient is a teenage girl? Any adult women been disbelieved in this situation?

Torry_Quine

Saturnalia wrote: »

I've needed medical treatment or prescription drugs where the doctor has asked "is there any chance you could be pregnant?" and doctors have always taken my word for it when I have said there's no way I could be. I've never been made to take a test to confirm it.

I'm amazed doctors don't take people's word for it, or is this only when the patient is a teenage girl? Any adult women been disbelieved in this situation?

It should be standard before surgery that a pregnancy test is done on any woman of child-bearing age.

Person_one

Saturnalia wrote: »

I've needed medical treatment or prescription drugs where the doctor has asked "is there any chance you could be pregnant?" and doctors have always taken my word for it when I have said there's no way I could be. I've never been made to take a test to confirm it.

I'm amazed doctors don't take people's word for it, or is this only when the patient is a teenage girl? Any adult women been disbelieved in this situation?

When women have certain symptoms, pregnancy always needs to be ruled out definitively, whether she thinks she might be pregnant or not. Such as, if the symptoms might indicate an ectopic pregnancy, which is obviously really serious if its missed.

For a routine X ray, yes they'll take your word for it.

Its just a urine test, I don't really see why its a big deal. I was in hospital when I was 14 and a virgin and had about 8 pregnancy tests, didn't bother me. I'd rather they were thorough!