Physicians’ Attitudes toward Adolescent Confidentiality Services: Scale Development and Validation

• Main Authors: Jeremić Stojković Vida, Cvjetković Smiljana, Matejić Bojana
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sciendo 2020-04-01
• Series: Slovenian Journal of Public Health
• Subjects: adolescent; confidentiality; attitude of health personnel; psychometrics; primary healthcare; surveys and questionnaires; mladostnik; zaupnost; odnos zdravstvenega osebja; psihometrija; primarno zdravstveno varstvo; ankete in vprašalniki
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.2478/sjph-2020-0013
• ISSN: 1854-2476

Confidentiality is one of the oldest ethical principles in healthcare. However, confidentiality in adolescent healthcare is not a universally-accepted doctrine among scholars. The ethical acceptability of confidential services in adolescents’ healthcare is based on perceptions of adolescent maturity and an appreciation of its importance to adolescents’ access and utilization of healthcare services. Despite legal policies that promote adolescents’ rights, physicians’ attitudes toward adolescent confidentiality can be a determining factor in their ultimate decision to protect adolescents’ confidentiality.