Final answer:
A nurse should not release a patient's medical information to their older brother unless the patient gives consent or the brother has legal authority. This is guided by confidentiality laws like HIPAA and can be complex if the patient is an adolescent who can legally consent to their own treatment. The nurse must navigate respecting the patient's wishes and legal requirements.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question is centered on how a nurse should handle a request for patient information from a family member, in this case, the patient's older brother. In the medical field, patient confidentiality is protected by laws such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). For a nurse to release any medical information, the patient must provide consent, or the person requesting the information must have legal authority, such as a healthcare power of attorney, to receive it. This becomes more complex when the patient is a minor; though generally, parents or legal guardians are entitled to access their minor child's health information, there may be exceptions if the minor can legally consent to their own medical treatment. Also, state laws may differ on the rights of adolescent patients regarding their health information.
If the patient is an adolescent and legally permitted to consent to their own medical care, and if they wish to keep their medical information confidential, even from family members, the nurse must respect the patient's wishes. In situations where the adolescent doesn't want their health information disclosed, the healthcare provider should discuss the importance of confidentiality and the situations under which this confidentiality might be legally or ethically breached. If the older brother does not have the legal authority to receive the medical information, the nurse should politely decline to provide it.