Confidentiality in Adolescent Health Care

This statement was approved as policy by the following organizations: the American Academy of Pediatrics; the American Academy of Family Physicians; the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; NAACOG-The Organization for Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nurses; and the National Medical Associations.

Adolescents tend to underutilize existing health care resources. The issue of confidentiality has been identified, by both providers and young people themselves, as a significant access barrier to health care.