Parental Consent Form For Medical Treatment – Everyone should have the ability to make informed decisions about their health. Medical procedures can be sensitive, so patients must be able to ultimately determine, based on known risks of their body, how it will be treated. Thus, before medical professionals can be able to treat their patients, they have to obtain what is known as informed consent.
Informed consent constitutes a lawful requirement where a patient is informed of the condition of their body and the treatment recommended by the acting physician. After receiving this information, the patient must offer the physician consent to treat prior to any form of treatment can be administered. Without informed consent from the patient, a health care provider cannot provide treatments.
Decision Making Capacity
In certain situations, patients do not possess the skills to comprehend the options for treatment and the potential risks and benefits associated with each one. In other situations, patients may not be able to effectively convey their preferences to health professionals. In these situations the patient is said to lack the necessary capacity to make decisions. If a family member is not present, or court-appointed representative, could then be able to perform informed consent instead.
Patients who are heavily influenced by their emotions, like anxiety or fear, as an example can be deemed to lacking the ability to make decisions. Patients who are in the state of unconscious cannot make decisions on their own, and outside parties have to give consent for treatment instead.
Items in an Parental Consent Form For Medical Treatment
There are certain elements that are commonly included in informed consent forms:
The patient’s medical condition or diagnosis
The treatment that is recommended by the physician in charge
The risks and advantages associated with this procedure
Alternative treatments are readily available, along with their risks and benefits
The risks and benefits that come with not accepting any treatment whatsoever
Not only must these items be recorded in the patient’s medical records, but they must also discuss the situation with patients. This way, he or she will fully understand the specifics of the situation and will receive immediate responses to any questions that arise.