Final answer:
To achieve independence from their family, a nurse would encourage an adolescent with a chronic illness to develop self-management skills. These skills are vital for managing their condition independently. The issue of confidentiality in adolescent healthcare, especially concerning sexual health, requires a delicate balance between the adolescent's privacy and the parents' right to know. Therefore, the correct option is c.
Step-by-step explanation:
The action a nurse would encourage for an adolescent diagnosed with a chronic illness to achieve independence from his or her family is to develop self-management skills (option C). Self-management skills are essential for adolescents to gain autonomy in handling their health conditions. These skills include understanding their illness, managing medications, recognizing warning signs of their condition worsening, proper nutritional choices, and how to access healthcare services when necessary. Developing these skills enables the adolescent to take control of their own health, which is a crucial step toward independence.
When dealing with patient privacy for minors, healthcare professionals face ethical dilemmas regarding confidentiality, especially concerning sensitive issues such as sexual health. It's essential to respect the adolescent's desire for confidentiality to encourage openness and trust while also navigating the legal rights of parents to be informed about the health of their child.
Physicians should approach the issue with sensitivity, aiming to balance the adolescent's right to privacy with the parents' need for involvement, considering both legal requirements and the best interest of the patient's health. These decisions are often context-specific and require careful deliberation on a case-by-case basis.