Informed Written Consent Form – Everybody should be able to make informed choices about their health. Medical treatments can be demanding, and therefore patients should be able to determine in light of known risks of their body, how it will be treated. Thus, before medical personnel can treat patients, they must obtain the process of informed consent.
Informed consent constitutes a lawful condition under which a patient has been given a complete and accurate description of his or her physical state and the recommended treatment by the treating physician. Once this information is received the patient has to sign a consent form with the doctor to treat before any form or treatment can be provided. Without informed consent from the patient health care professional is not permitted to provide treatment.
Decision Making Capacity
In some instances the patients aren’t equipped with the ability to comprehend their treatment options , as well as the risks/benefits associated with each. In other cases, patients may not be able to communicate their decision to health workers. In such situations the patient is said not to have adequate capacity for decision-making. An individual from the family or court appointed representative could then be able to provide informed consent instead.
Patients who are greatly influenced by their emotions, like anxiety or fear, for example can be deemed to not having the capacity to make decisions. Those who are unconscious clearly can’t make decisions on independent of themselves, so outsiders are required to obtain consent instead.
Items in an Informed Written Consent Form
There are certain elements that are universally included in informed consent forms:
The patient’s medical condition or diagnosis
The treatment suggested by the acting physician
The risks and benefits that come with this treatment
Alternative treatments are also available, along with their potential risks and benefits
The risks and benefits associated with refusing treatment whatsoever
The items should not only be detailed in documentation however, they must communicated with the person receiving the treatment. This way, he or is able to fully comprehend the details of the situation and get straight answers to any queries that might have arisen.
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