Informed Consent Form For Blood Transfusion – Everyone should have the ability to make educated decisions about their medical care. Treatments for medical conditions can be risky, therefore patients should be able to decide in light of known risks of their body, how it will be treated. Thus, before medical personnel are permitted to treat patients, they have to obtain the so-called informed consent.
Informed consent constitutes a lawful condition under which a patient is provided with a full and complete description of his or her physical health and the treatment recommended by the doctor in charge. After receiving this information the patient is required to be able to give the physician their consent to treat before any form of treatment can be administered. Without informed consent from the patient an health care professional is not permitted to provide treatments.
Decision Making Capacity
In certain situations the patients aren’t equipped with the knowledge to fully comprehend the options for treatment and the risks and benefits that come with each. In other instances patients may not be able communicate their choices to health care professionals. In these situations, the patient is said not to possess the proper decision making capacity. A family member or court-appointed representative, can make informed consent on behalf of the patient.
Patients that are strongly influenced by their emotions, such as anxiety or fear, for example are deemed lacking the ability to make decisions. The patients who are unconscious cannot make decisions on their own. Therefore, outside parties must provide consent for treatment instead.
Items in an Informed Consent Form For Blood Transfusion
There are certain elements that are generally included in informed consent forms:
The diagnosis or medical condition of the patient.
The recommended treatment is suggested by the acting physician
The risks and the benefits associated with this method of treatment
Alternative treatments that are available, along with their potential risks and benefits
The risks and benefits associated with refusing treatment at all
These details must not only be recorded in the patient’s medical records They must also been discussed by the patient. In this way, he or she will fully understand the particulars of the case and will receive immediate responses to any questions that arise.