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HCET Home > On-line Training > The Culture of Family Planning > Confidentiality

Confidentiality is essential to the culture of family planning. These clinics provide comprehensive care for all women from teen to menopause. The majority of family planning clients tend to be adult women. Many of these women are not able to openly discuss such sensitive issues especially when making decisions about their reproductive health and family planning choices. Women who come to family planning out of fear, guilt, and even economics sometimes have no alternative but to depend upon family planning clinics for their health. It is here they feel protected and able to talk openly making sound decisions concerning their sexual health and reproduction. Confidentiality is a critical characteristic and a trusting feature that all women can depend on at family planning clinics. Family planning clinics require confidentiality so they can focus on providing a safe space for women to talk about healthcare and sexuality.

Our clinic is in a small community, so confidentiality is a real concern. - Michele Geiger-Bronsky, Wellness Center of Door County, Sturgeon Bay, WI

When outside of clinic settings, family planning professionals need to exercise professional confidentiality when seeing clients in out-of-clinic environments. This is especially essential for family planning facilities set up in small, rural communities where everyone seems to know each other.

Providing the confidentiality women and men need in attaining their own family goals and reproductive healthcare within the structure of a rural setting is part of what makes family planning distinctive.

Family planning professionals apply confidentiality and nonjudgmental attitudes when communicating with adolescents of any age. Clinic staff help teens by providing the tools they need to care for themselves and to make choices that are right for them.

Family planning is helping teens to identify that delaying parenting until they are adults (married, graduated from High School, etc.) is a good choice. To help them see that I understand their sexuality yet are willing to help them identify the benefits of delaying sex/pregnancy and what options are available for them. These kids are good kids with little access to services. I strive to keep them healthy and free of parenting so that they can be healthy, productive, well-adjusted adults. - Melissa Vukovich, Milwaukee (WI) Adolescent Health Program

Offering teens confidential and safe services is a unique and important aspect of family planning. A 2002 Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) study found that almost half of sexually active teens (47%) visiting a family planning clinic would stop using clinic services if their parents were notified that they were seeking birth control, and another 11% reported that they would delay testing or treatment for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) or HIV; virtually all (99%), however, reported that they would continue having sex¹³. This study shows the importance of providing teenagers access to confidential care. Over the years public policy has evolved to meet this need. Today teens can acquire confidential family planning services under Medicaid and Title X of the Public Health Service Act.

Family planning, reproductive health, and pregnancy test patient privacy rights should be rigorously safeguarded with no exceptions or administrative "short-cuts" involving management of health care information, patient communications, or delivery of services. - Wisconsin Family Planning Program Confidentiality Requirements - Overview8

• WFPP Confidentiality Related Documents & Resources

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URL: http://65.163.14.21/training/FPCulture/1conf.htm
 Last update: 03/05/08