Department of Family Medicine, Kaunas University of Medicine, Lithuania.
Scand J Public Health. 2011 Jul;39(5):484-91. doi: 10.1177/1403494810396554. Epub 2011 Feb 14.
We surveyed Lithuanian general practitioners' (GPs) views on the importance of confidentiality for adolescents and on their practices in informing parents about sexual and reproductive health consultations with this age group.
In this cross-sectional study, a 41-item questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 607 Lithuanian GPs. The purpose of this questionnaire was to gain knowledge about current practices of GPs in informing parents on the importance of confidentiality as well as in protecting the privacy of minors. GPs' knowledge of the current legal age limit of confidentiality protection in patient-provider settings was also assessed.
Although 67.5% of the responding GPs (response rate 73.5%) stated that they inform the parents or guardians of adolescent patients about the importance of confidentiality, 82.9% of them only did so if the opportunity arose. When consulting on general sexual issues, more than 70% stated that they would guarantee their minor patients confidentiality. However, when cases involved sexually transmitted infections or pregnancy, nearly the same percentage said they would inform the parents. 62.3% of GPs incorrectly believed that the law only protects the right to confidentiality for patients who are 18 or older.
Our findings indicate that Lithuanian GPs frequently violate adolescents' right to confidential health services. The study highlights the need for a comprehensive strategy to strengthen the confidentiality of sexual and reproductive health services for this group in Lithuanian primary care.
我们调查了立陶宛全科医生（GP）对青少年保密性的重要性的看法，以及他们在告知家长有关青少年性健康和生殖健康咨询方面的做法。
在这项横断面研究中，我们向随机抽取的 607 名立陶宛 GP 发送了一份包含 41 个问题的调查问卷。这份问卷旨在了解 GP 目前在告知家长保密性重要性以及保护未成年人性隐私方面的实践情况。我们还评估了 GP 对当前患者与提供者设置中保密性保护的法定年龄限制的了解程度。
尽管 67.5%的回复 GP（回复率为 73.5%）表示他们会告知青少年患者的家长或监护人保密性的重要性，但只有 82.9%的人会在有机会时这样做。在咨询一般的性问题时，超过 70%的人表示他们会为未成年患者保密。然而，当涉及性传播感染或怀孕等情况时，几乎相同比例的人表示他们会通知家长。62.3%的 GP 错误地认为，法律只保护 18 岁或以上患者的保密权利。
我们的研究结果表明，立陶宛 GP 经常侵犯青少年获得保密健康服务的权利。该研究强调需要制定一项全面战略，以加强立陶宛初级保健中针对该群体的性健康和生殖健康服务的保密性。
