Should a pharmacist seek parental consent or involvement prior to providing care to minors? Are pharmacists obligated to provide parents with access to their minor children's protected health information?
We have encountered a great deal of confusion regarding the answers to these questions in classroom teaching and clinical practice. In this article, we aim to provide some clarity through a discussion of Canadian legal rules and applicable pharmacy practice guidelines governing medical decision-making and health information access requests involving minors. The discussion will also address the nature and scope of a pharmacist's obligation to parents seeking involvement in health care decisions affecting minors or access to a minor child's protected health information.
Pharmaceutical care and access to health information decisions involving minors: Characterizing the pharmacist's obligation to the patient (PDF)