“Very important persons” care contributes to multitiered, racially segregated health service delivery streams that influence clinicians’ conceptions of what patients deserve from them.

Preventing bad outcomes for teens and their offspring was the impetus behind confidential care for reproductive health. Requiring parental involvement created an obstacle to the provision of necessary care.

Physicians should honor confidentiality whenever possible when screening and treating adolescents for sensitive health conditions such as substance abuse.

Film, television, radio, and other media fail to accurately portray the diversity among health care professionals and the patients they treat.