Acupuncture Consent Form – Everybody should be able to make informed choices about their health. Medical procedures can be injurious, and patients must be able decide in light of known risks, how their bodies will be treated. Therefore, before medical workers are permitted to administer treatments to patients, they have to obtain the so-called informed consent.
Informed consent constitutes a lawful requirement where a patient is provided with detailed information about the physical condition and the treatment suggested by the physician who is acting as the patient’s physician. Once this information is received the patient is required to offer the physician consent to treat before any form of care is delivered. Without informed consent from the patient any health professional is not permitted to provide treatment.
Decision Making Capacity
In certain situations the patients aren’t equipped with the knowledge to fully comprehend their options in terms of treatment and the risks/benefits of each one. In other instances patients might not be able to explain their decisions to health professionals. In such situations the patient is considered not to have adequate decision making capacity. An individual from the family or court appointed representative in this case, can give informed consent in lieu of the patient.
Patients that are strongly influenced by their emotions such as anxiety or fear, for example can be deemed to not having the capacity for decision-making. The ones who are asleep clearly cannot take decisions on their own. Therefore, outside parties need to consent to treatment instead.
Items in an Acupuncture Consent Form
There are certain elements that are generally included in informed consent forms:
The patient’s medical diagnosis/condition
The recommended treatment is suggested by the physician in charge
The risks and benefits that come with this treatment
Alternative treatments are also available, as well as their risks and benefits
The risks and benefits that come with refusing treatment at all
These details must not only be documented in a written document however, they must discuss the situation with patients. In this way, he or is able to fully comprehend the specifics of the situation and get straight answers to any issues that may have arisen.