Bmj Case Reports Patient Consent Form – Every person should be able to make informed choices about their health. Medical treatments can be quite sensitive, so patients must be able to ultimately determine, based on known risks that their bodies should be treated. Thus, before medical personnel can be able to treat their patients, they must be given the so-called informed consent.
A patient’s informed consent can be a legally binding requirement under which a patient is provided with detailed information about his or her physical state as well as the treatment that is recommended by the physician in charge. After receiving this information, the patient must give the doctor their consent to treat prior to any form of care can be delivered. Without the patient’s informed consent health care professional is not permitted to provide treatment.
Decision Making Capacity
In some instances patients don’t have the capabilities to fully understand their treatment options , as well as the potential risks and benefits associated with each. In other cases, patients may not be able to effectively communicate their choices to health care professionals. In these situations patients are said to not possess adequate capacity to make decisions. A family member or court appointed representative in this case, can give informed consent in lieu of the patient.
Patients who are greatly influenced by their emotions such as anxiety or fear for instance can be deemed to lacking the ability to make decisions. Patients who are in the state of unconscious cannot take decisions on their alone, and external parties need to consent to treatment instead.
Items in an Bmj Case Reports Patient Consent Form
Certain elements are universally included in informed consent forms:
The patient’s medical conditions/diagnosis
The procedure recommended by the acting physician
The risks and the benefits associated with this treatment
There are alternative treatments available, along with their risks and benefits
The dangers and advantages with refusing treatment at all
These details must not only be documented however, they must have a discussion with the patient. This way, he is able to fully comprehend the details of the situation and get straight answers to any queries that might be arising.