Unit Policy
Title
Campus Health: Treatment of Minors
RC-05/RI-05
Introduction
Purpose
This policy establishes the conditions under which Campus Health providers may treat un-emancipated minors, requiring parental or guardian consent in most circumstances while outlining the limited exceptions where treatment may proceed without it. It also defines emancipation under North Carolina law and addresses how emancipated minors are to be treated with respect to their medical records.
Scope
This policy applies to Campus Health medical providers and staff when treating patients who are un-emancipated or emancipated minors under North Carolina law.
Policy
In accordance with North Carolina law, an unemancipated minor is a person who is less than 18 years of age and who has not been married or emancipated by law. An emancipated minor or a minor who has been married may consent to medical care for him/herself or his/her child. Campus Health medical providers will not treat an unemancipated minor without the consent of the parent, guardian, or person standing in loco parentis, except as allowable by law. Procedures for rendering medical care to an unemancipated minor in the absence of consent from a parent, guardian, or person standing in loco parentis are detailed below.
Procedure
A medical record for an unemancipated minor student is flagged with a registration alert indicating the patient is a minor. This alert will appear at the time of scheduling and patient arrival for check-in.
When the unemancipated minor arrives for the appointment, the campus health front-desk staff (or nursing staff if initial contact attempts are unsuccessful) will contact the parent, guardian, or legal representative standing in loco parentis for permission to evaluate and treat the minor, unless the appointment is for one of the reasons below. If front-desk staff are unable to make contact, nursing staff may continue the attempts with assistance from the patient. Parental consent or unsuccessful contact attempts are documented in the medical record in the "General Notes" section of the appointment card and in the "Visit Reason" field. The notation will be "PCO" with initials for "Parental Consent Obtained", or "FTOPC" with initials for "Failure to Obtain Parental Consent"
- Prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of:
- Venereal disease and other diseases reportable under North Carolina General Statutes (N.C.G.S.) 130A‑135,
- Pregnancy (not including termination of pregnancy),
- Abuse of controlled substances or alcohol, and
- Emotional disturbance.
After evaluation and treatment, the Campus Health provider will contact the parent to communicate the findings and, if requested, the recommended treatment. If the provider cannot reach the parent, the provider will document the attempt(s) to contact the parent, guardian, or legal representative.
Provider may render treatment to any minor without first obtaining the consent and approval of a parent, guardian, or person standing in loco parentis if:
- The parent, guardian, or person standing in loco parentis cannot be located or contacted during the time when the unemancipated minor requires treatment; or
- The identity of the un-emancipated minor is unknown, or where the necessity for immediate treatment is so apparent that any effort to secure approval would delay the treatment or endanger the life of the un-emancipated minor; or
- An effort to contact a parent, guardian, or person standing in loco parentis would result in a delay that would seriously worsen the actual physical condition of the unemancipated minor; or
- The parent, guardian, or person standing in loco parentis refuses to consent to a procedure, and the necessity for immediate treatment is so apparent that the delay required to obtain a court order would endanger the life or seriously worsen the physical condition of the unemancipated minor.
Prior to treatment in such cases, the attending physician shall obtain and document the opinion of another physician that such treatment is necessary to prevent immediate harm to the unemancipated minor.
A parent, legal guardian, or representative should be notified as soon as it is practical.
Emancipation:
According to North Carolina law, emancipation occurs when:
- A juvenile is 16 years of age and has been emancipated by judicial action (N.C.G.S. § 7B-3500);
- A married juvenile by application of common law (N.C.G.S. § 7B-3509);
- A person serving in the armed forces of the United States petitions for emancipation (N.C.G.S. § 7B-3402)
The emancipated minor should be treated as an adult with respect to the release of the information contained in their medical record. An emancipated minor is entitled to a copy of the medical record under the same circumstances as an adult. No portion of the medical record should be released to the emancipated minor's parents without the patient's consent.
Related Requirements
External Regulations
Unit Policies, Standards, and Procedures
Contact Information
Primary Contact
Name: Melody Gibson, Health Information Manager
Telephone: 919-966-6557
Email: mgibson@email.unc.edu
Publication Details
Issuing Officer: Ken Pittman, Executive Director of Campus Health
Effective Date: September 1986
Last Review Date: October 2024
Next Review Date: October 2027