Hospital Admission Consent Form – Everybody should be able to make informed choices about their health. Medical treatments can be quite sensitive, so patients must be able to ultimately determine according to the known risks and the way their bodies will be treated. So, before medical professionals can treat patients, they need to receive the so-called informed consent.
Informed consent , a requirement in law is the condition in which patients are informed of the physical condition and the treatment suggested by the doctor in charge. Once this information is received patients must give the doctor their consent to treat before any form of treatment can be offered. Without the patient’s informed consent, a health care provider is not allowed to provide treatment.
Decision Making Capacity
In certain situations the patients aren’t equipped with the knowledge to fully comprehend the options for treatment and the risks and benefits that come with each. In other circumstances patients might not be able to communicate their choices to health care professionals. Under these circumstances patients are said not to have adequate decision making capacity. An individual from the family or court appointed representative then, is allowed to provide informed consent instead.
Patients who are strongly affected by their emotions – such as anxiety or fear, for instance – may be determined as not having the capacity to make decisions. People who are not conscious cannot make decisions on independent of themselves, so outsiders are required to obtain consent instead.
Items in an Hospital Admission Consent Form
Certain elements are common to all consent forms:
The diagnosis or medical condition of the patient.
The treatment suggested by the physician who is acting
The risks and the benefits associated with this method of treatment
Alternative treatments are also available, along with their potential risks and benefits
The dangers and advantages of refusing treatment at all
These details must not only be documented, but they must also communicated with the person receiving the treatment. This way, he is able to fully comprehend the details of the situation and get straight answers to any concerns that might have arisen.