Athletic Consent Form – Everybody should be able to make educated decisions about their healthcare. The medical procedures can be sensitive, so patients must be able, in the end, to decide according to the known risks that their bodies should be treated. So, before medical professionals are permitted to provide treatment to patients they must be given the so-called informed consent.
A patient’s informed consent can be a legally binding condition where a patient is informed of his or her physical health and the treatment recommended by the doctor in charge. After receiving this information the patient has to offer the physician consent to treat prior to any form of care is delivered. Without the patient’s informed consent the health professional is not permitted to provide treatments.
Decision Making Capacity
In some cases patients may not have the ability to comprehend their treatment options and the risks/benefits of each. In other cases, patients may not be able to communicate their decisions to the health professionals. In these situations patients are said not to have adequate capacity to make decisions. The family member, or court appointed representative in this case, can take over informed consent.
Patients that are strongly influenced by their emotions, such as anxiety or fear, as an example they could be judged as lacking the ability to make decisions. The patients who are unconscious are unable to make decisions on their own. Therefore, outside parties are required to obtain consent instead.
Items in an Athletic Consent Form
There are certain elements that are generally included in informed consent forms:
The diagnosis or medical condition of the patient.
The treatment that is recommended by the medical professional in charge
The benefits and risks associated with this treatment
Alternative treatments that are offered, as are their risks and benefits
The potential risks and rewards with refusing any treatment at all
These details must not only be detailed in documentation They must also communicated with the person receiving the treatment. In this way, he or is able to fully comprehend the specifics of the situation and get straight answers to any questions that may have arisen.