Caregiver Consent Form – Everyone should be able to make informed decisions about their health. Medical procedures can be injurious, and patients must be able, in the end, to decide from the facts about risks as well as their own personal preferences, how they will be treated. Thus, before medical personnel are permitted to administer treatments to patients, they need to receive the so-called informed consent.
Informed consent is a legal requirement where a patient is informed of his or her physical condition and the treatment recommended by the physician in charge. After receiving this information the patient is required to provide the physician with consent to treat prior to any form of care is offered. Without informed consent from the patient the health professional is not permitted to offer treatment.
Decision Making Capacity
In some instances patients don’t have the capabilities to fully understand the options for treatment and the benefits and risks associated with each one. In other cases patients might not be able to communicate their choices to health workers. In these situations, the patient is said to not possess adequate capacity to make decisions. The family member, or court appointed representative in this case, can provide informed consent instead.
Patients who are heavily influenced by their emotions, like anxiety or fear, for example they could be judged as not possessing decision making capacity. The patients who are unconscious cannot take decisions on their independent of themselves, so outsiders need to consent to treatment instead.
Items in an Caregiver Consent Form
There are certain elements that are common to all consent forms:
The patient’s medical condition or diagnosis
The treatment suggested by the doctor in charge
The risks and the benefits associated with this treatment
Alternative treatments are offered, as are their risks and benefits
The benefits and risks associated of refusing treatment whatsoever
The items should not only be recorded in the patient’s medical records They must also have a discussion with the patient. This way, he is able to fully comprehend what is happening and will receive immediate responses to any questions that arise.
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