Home Drug Tests - Weighing Privacy Against a Trip to the Doctor's Office

If you've seen the signs of drug use orThe health records may be secure and
symptoms of drug use in your teen, then youconfidential today, but as the shift continues
might be wondering if you want to use a hometoward electronic record keeping, there are
drug test kit and do it yourself or take your sonlegitimate security risks in the future, not the least
or daughter to see your local doctor. Since instantof which is who has access to those records. Will
drug tests offer accuracy that comparesprivate doctors always possess sole access to
favorably to lab results, many doctors are usingthose records, or could access expand to
the same type of instant kits you can get andinsurance companies or government agencies?
use at home, in their doctor's office. The testingCan anyone guarantee that in the future, no laws
technology is similar. The big differences revolvewill be changed that would allow insurance
around who administers the tests, how thecompanies, government agencies or anyone else
results are handled and cost.for that matter, access to your child's medical
The doctors office will be more expensive andrecords? Nobody can guarantee it. By contrast,
you don't need a medical background to read testwhen home tests are used, there is no written
results. The bigger question is this. Do you reallymedical record and the results are kept private
want a record of your child's drug test on file?between you and your child, as they should be.