Research Consent Form For Minors – Every person should be able to make informed decisions about their medical care. The medical procedures can be risky, therefore patients should be able to decide from the facts about risks as well as their own personal preferences, how they will be treated. Thus, before medical professionals are permitted to administer treatments to patients, they must be given the so-called informed consent.
Informed consent is a legal condition where a patient is provided with a full and complete description of the physical condition as well as the treatment that is recommended by the physician who is acting as the patient’s physician. Once this information is received patients must give the doctor their consent to treat prior to any form of treatment can be offered. Without informed consent from the patient an health care professional cannot offer treatments.
Decision Making Capacity
In some cases patients may not have the skills to comprehend the options for treatment and the risks/benefits of each. In other instances patients may not be able to effectively communicate their decision to health workers. In such situations the patient is considered to lack the appropriate decision making capacity. A family member or court appointed representative could then be able to perform informed consent instead.
Patients that are strongly influenced by their emotions, such as anxiety or fear, for instance – may be determined as not having the capacity to make decisions. Patients who are in the state of unconscious are unable to make decisions on their alone, and external parties must provide consent for treatment instead.
Items in an Research Consent Form For Minors
There are certain elements that are commonly included in informed consent forms:
The diagnosis or medical condition of the patient.
The treatment recommended by the acting physician
The risks and the benefits associated with this treatment
Alternative treatments that are available, along with their risks and benefits
The risks and benefits that come with refusing any treatment at all
Not only must these items be recorded in the documentation But they also need to be discussed with the patient. So, he will be able to comprehend the details of the situation and will receive immediate responses to any issues that may arise.