Parental Consent Form For Participation In Research – Everybody should be able to make informed choices about their healthcare. Medical procedures can be risky, therefore patients should be able to determine, based on known risks of their body, how it will be treated. Therefore, before medical workers are allowed to operate on patients, they must receive the so-called informed consent.
Informed consent is a legal condition under which a patient has been given a complete and accurate description of the physical condition and the recommended treatment by the physician who is acting as the patient’s physician. Once this information is received the patient is required to sign a consent form with the doctor to treat before any form of care can be administered. Without informed consent from the patient, a health care provider cannot offer treatments.
Decision Making Capacity
In some instances patients lack the capabilities to fully understand their options in terms of 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 professionals. When this occurs the patient is said to not possess adequate decision making capacity. The family member, or court appointed representative can make informed consent on behalf of the patient.
Patients who are greatly influenced by their emotions – anxiety or fear, for example they could be judged as not having the capacity to make decisions. The patients who are unconscious are unable to make decisions on their own, and outside parties require consent for treatment instead.
Items in an Parental Consent Form For Participation In Research
Certain elements are included on all informed consent forms:
The patient’s medical conditions/diagnosis
The recommended treatment is suggested by the acting physician
The risks and benefits associated with this method of treatment
There are alternative treatments offered, as are their benefits and risks
The risks and benefits associated with refusing treatment at all
These details must not only be recorded in the documentation, but they must also been discussed by the patient. So, he is able to fully comprehend all the details of the scenario and get straight answers to any concerns that might have arisen.