Aren't gynecologists supposed to be confidential to your parents?

Question

I went to the gyno the other day and a nurse came in and asked me if i was active, she told me before i answer that my parents don't have to know and that it's only between me and her. So of course i told her the truth! Later the actual doctor tells my mom! i feel like this is against the law? am i wrong? (btw im 17) and my life has been h**l ever since.

Answer 1

there not suppose to say anything.

Answer 2

Yes it is against the law. You should have signed consent forms that say it's alright for the doctor to tell your parents anything. I would defiantly talk with the doctor and the nurse who asked and perhaps a lawyer.

Answer 3

Wow. No I don't think this is aloud. If (s)he told your mom, who know's who (s)he's telling. But I don't have a right to assume that. So nevermind, but if I were you I would just get a new doctor and talk to them first about this. And say you would like if this was private. I am sure they will understand, and will keep it between you and them. So to sum it up my advice is maybe get a new doctor. Totally up to you though! Good luck! xo

Answer 4

It is illegal but why was the Dr talking to your mom in the first place?  Confidentiality applies to all Drs after age I believe it is 13.  At 17 you can go back by yourself to see the Dr and he has to keep everything you say confidential unless you admit to being sexually abused then legally they usually have to report it but they can't just go telling your mom you are sexually active so did you hear the Dr tell your mom that?  If so when did he tell her and how?

Answer 5

that is DEF wrong! and you should go back to that clinic and tell them what happened. He is not allowed to tell you parents esp with out asking you first. He could face legal action on that front if you were to pursue it... but i would just tell the clinic he works for and im sure he will get in a load of trouble.

Answer 6

Technically they are supposed to keep everything confidential. Even from your parents. But here's the kicker if your parents are paying for the visit whether out of their pocket or threw their insurance then there's nothing you can do.

I would recommend going to planned parent hood next time for a standard check up for gyno stuff. Although if your preggers then of course you'll have to see a regular OB.

Good Luck!

Answer 7

yes it is. Paient doctor confidentiallity

Answer 8

that would make me so angry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank goodness you are 17, because 18 is very close. You can go by yourself. Why was your mom in the room with you and the doctor? Obviously, your mom wanted to know and was trying to find out if you were active or not. So, she won and she found out and you are suffering for it. The good news is, that you will be 18 soon.

The doctor was a real jerk to you. I am so sorry this happened to you. There isn't much you can do about it, but you may be able to report the doctor to the association that he has his license from. But, that won't help you relationship with your mom. If I were you, I would play the, "oooh nooo, I made a mistake mom, I am so sorry. you were right all along. I can't believe what a mistake it was. I see now what you were saying. blah blah blah. " then give it some time and hopefully she will lighten up. good luck.

Answer 9

There is no federal law that governs Doctor-Patient confidentiality (not to be confused with doctor-patient priviledge).  Doctor-patient confidentiality is more of a professional standard and it is also an issue that is governed by the state.  

The laws vary from state to state and I do not pretend to know them all.  Most states require that a doctor consult with a minor child's guardian about any medical procedures.  However, information about being sexually active does not seem to fall into this category (though there are laws that allow information to be released when the examination is done at the request of a 3rd party.  A 3rd party is usually an insurance company or an employer, but one could argue your parents could be acting as a 3rd party)

Doctor-patient priviledge is still a gray area at best.  There are "federal" regulations that acknowledge doctor-patient priviledge and that information exchanged in the relationship has an expectation of confidentiality.  As solid as this concept seems, there are instances where a doctor is allowed to break any implied confidentiality without the patients knowledge or consent.  

I know my answer is pretty vauge, but the fact of the matter is that whether the doctor did something wrong or not is determined by state law and not knowing what stateyou live in, I can not give you specific details.

What the doctor did DOES reflect p**s poor professionalism, no matter what the state law says.  Unless there are details you have not mentioned about your health, there is no necessity to divulge your sexual history with your parents.  Patients (minor or not) should have an expectation of privacy.

If you want to pursue this issue, I'd recommend contacting your state's department of public health or health and human services.

EDIT:  Here is a link on what the AMA has to say on patient confidentiality:  http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category...

One of the things mentioned is that parents "tend" to have the authority to consent the release of confidential information for their minor child.  If a parent has the authority to release confidential information, I don't think it is a far leap to say that the parent should be able to access the information to begin with.

Answer 10

yeah they aren't suppose to tell your parents anything unless you say its okay.

The only way they can tell your parents is if something is wrong with you and your parents have to know.