A 18-year-old male client is admitted to the hospital with a possible drug overdose. His mother requests to know the results of the toxicology screen test. Which response is best for the nurse to provide?

A. "Only your son can decide to who the laboratory results can be shared with." Since the client is 18 years old, he is legally an adult and has the right to confidentiality regarding his medical information. The nurse should inform the mother that the son must provide consent before sharing any test results with her. B. "I can give you those results as soon as I get them back from the laboratory." The nurse cannot release the results to the mother without the client's consent, as he is an adult and his medical information is confidential. C. "I need to wait for the results of other tests before I can share the information to you." The nurse’s ability to share the results with the mother is based on the client’s consent, not on waiting for other tests. D. "Let us wait for the healthcare provider to come and share this information with you." While it may be helpful for the healthcare provider to discuss the results, the key issue here is the client's consent. The nurse should clarify that the client is the one who must authorize sharing the results.