Child Consent Form – Everybody should be able to make informed choices about their medical care. Medical procedures can be sensitive, so patients must be able, in the end, to decide according to the known risks, how their bodies will be treated. In order to ensure that medical professionals are permitted to administer treatments to patients, they have to obtain the so-called informed consent.
The informed consent requirement is legal condition where a patient is provided with detailed information about the physical condition and the treatment suggested by the physician in charge. After receiving this information patients must provide the physician with consent to treat before any form of treatment is provided. Without informed consent from the patient any health professional is not allowed to provide treatment.
Decision Making Capacity
In certain instances, patients do not possess the skills to comprehend the options for treatment and the potential risks and benefits associated with each one. In other circumstances patients might not be able to communicate their decisions to the health workers. Under these circumstances the patient is said not to possess the proper capacity to make decisions. The family member, or court-appointed representative then, is allowed to make informed consent on behalf of the patient.
Patients who are strongly affected by their emotions, like anxiety or fear for instance – may be determined as not having the capacity for decision-making. People who are not conscious are unable to make decisions on their independently, and other people require consent for treatment instead.
Items in an Child Consent Form
Certain elements are included on all informed consent forms:
The patient’s medical condition/diagnosis
The treatment recommended by the physician who is acting
The risks and benefits associated with this procedure
Alternative treatments are offered, as are their risks and benefits
The potential risks and rewards with accepting no treatment whatsoever
The items should not only be recorded in the documentation, but they must also be discussed with the patient. In this way, he or is able to fully comprehend the specifics of the situation and will receive immediate responses to any concerns that might be arising.