Fitness Consent Form – Everybody should be able to make informed decisions about their health. The medical procedures can be risky, therefore patients should be able, in the end, to decide the risks that are known to be present as well as their own personal preferences, how they will be treated. So, before medical professionals are allowed to administer treatments to patients, they must obtain the process of informed consent.
Informed consent constitutes a lawful requirement that requires that a patient be provided with detailed information about his or her physical state and the recommended treatment by the treating physician. Once this information is received, the patient must be able to give the physician their consent to treat before any form of care is administered. Without informed consent from the patient any health professional cannot provide treatment.
Decision Making Capacity
In certain instances, patients do not possess the knowledge to fully comprehend their options regarding treatment, and the risks/benefits of each. In other cases patients may not be able to communicate their decision to health professionals. In such situations the patient is considered to not possess adequate capacity for decision-making. An individual from the family or court-appointed representative, can take over informed consent.
Patients who are heavily influenced by their emotions, such as anxiety or fear for instance they could be judged as lacking the ability to make decisions. The patients who are unconscious can’t make decisions on own. Therefore, outside parties need to consent to treatment instead.
Items in an Fitness Consent Form
There are certain elements that are universally included in informed consent forms:
The patient’s medical condition/diagnosis
The procedure recommended by the doctor in charge
The risks and benefits that come with this method of treatment
Alternative treatments are offered, as are their benefits and risks
The risks and benefits that come with accepting no treatment at all
These details must not only be documented in a written document however, they must communicated with the person receiving the treatment. So, he can fully comprehend the specifics of the situation and will receive immediate responses to any queries that might have arisen.