Consent and confidentiality in children

Abstract

Confidentiality is central to the establishment and preservation of trust between a doctor and their patient, yet is one of the lesser-discussed principles of medical bioethics. A “duty of confidence arises when one person discloses information to another in circumstances where it is reasonable to expect that information to be held in confidence”. Its moral basis is in that it should improve patient welfare, and as such, it is encompassed during all aspects of the treatment process, beginning with the initial consultation where patient autonomy and informed consent are first addressed.