Question

An adolescent with pneumonia is admitted to the pediatric unit. after his parents leave the unit for the evening, he tells the nurse he may have contracted human immunodeficiency virus (hiv). he wants to be tested, but he doesn't want his parents to know about the test. what should the nurse say?

Answer 1

The nurse may say something along the lines of "The order will be submitted to your physician. Your parents will not know." It is only a simple test to see whether the boy has contracted the Human Immuno-Deficiency virus, and thus is not anything that requires interference on the parents' part, which may bring embarrassment on the adolescent. The nurse is practicing general ethics and her moral code here.