Abortion Consent Form – Every person should be able to make educated decisions about their healthcare. Treatments for medical conditions can be injurious, and patients must be able to ultimately determine from the facts about risks and the way their bodies will be treated. In order to ensure that medical professionals are allowed to provide treatment to patients they must receive the process of informed consent.
Informed consent is a legal requirement in which patients are provided with specific information regarding the physical condition as well as the treatment that is recommended by the doctor in charge. After receiving this information the patient has to give the doctor their consent to treat before any form of care is offered. Without informed consent from the patient an health care professional is not allowed to provide treatments.
Decision Making Capacity
In some instances patients may not have the skills to comprehend their treatment options and the risks/benefits of each one. In some instances patients might not be able to effectively communicate their decisions to the health care professionals. In such situations, the patient is said not to have adequate capacity to make decisions. An individual from the family or court-appointed representative, could then be able to make informed consent on behalf of the patient.
Patients who are strongly affected by their emotions such as anxiety or fear, for instance they could be judged as not having the capacity to make decisions. Patients who are in the state of unconscious cannot make decisions on own. Therefore, outside parties require consent for treatment instead.
Items in an Abortion Consent Form
There are certain elements that are common to all consent forms:
The patient’s medical condition or diagnosis
The treatment recommended by the physician who is acting
The risks and advantages associated with this treatment
Alternative treatments that are available, as well as their risks and benefits
The risks and benefits associated with refusing any treatment at all
These items must not only be recorded in the patient’s medical records But they also need to been discussed by the patient. So, he she will fully understand the details of the situation and will receive immediate responses to any questions that have arisen.