I chose case study 14. Tavion was brought to the Methodist Hospital by his father for a broken arm. Taviaons father was reluctant to leave his side. When asked what happened to his son the father replied that he had fallen from the jungle gym at the playground. When the nurses took Tavion to do his x-rays they did not allow his father to come. They then questioned the boy about his injury and his response matched his fathers. However the boys injuries were clean and the story seemed false. When asked if he was scared of getting hurt at home his answer was no. Before leaving the hospital Tavions father requested that the medical records are released to no one, unless he was contacted. The following weekend Tavions mother, who is divorced, requested a copy of the hospital records because she suspected abuse.
I do believe that Tavions mother has a right to the hospital records of her son, especially if she believes her son is being abused by his father. This does give the hospital the right to investigate further. Tavions mother knows the father of her son more than the hospital staff and if she has concerns it should be looked into. There are other departments that Tavions mother can go to for help if she suspects that her son is being physically abused. Such as the hospital, department of children and families and the police. They can further investigate the situation. The police could even talk to the child alone to get further answers. Internal and external forces that impact this case is the father not wanting to release the records, and the mother wanting the records. Also that the story of the father did not seem true.
The legal issues in this case are confidentiality of the child’s medical records. The father requested that he be contacted before the records are given out to anyone.
