College Consent Form – Everyone should be able to make informed choices about their health. Treatments for medical conditions can be risky, therefore patients should be able decide in light of known risks, how their bodies will be treated. Thus, before medical professionals are permitted to provide treatment to patients they must receive what is known as informed consent.
Informed consent is a legal requirement in which patients are given a complete and accurate description of his or her physical health and the recommended treatment by the doctor in charge. Once this information is received the patient has to give the doctor their consent to treat prior to any form of treatment is administered. Without the patient’s informed consent, a health care provider is not permitted to offer treatments.
Decision Making Capacity
In certain situations patients may not have the skills to comprehend the options for treatment and the risks/benefits of each one. In other circumstances patients might not be able to effectively communicate their decisions to the health workers. If this happens, the patient is said to not possess adequate capacity for decision-making. A family member or court appointed representative could then be able to take over informed consent.
Patients who are strongly affected by their emotions – such as anxiety or fear for instance could be classified as not possessing decision making capacity. Patients who are in the state of unconscious cannot take decisions on their independent of themselves, so outsiders need to consent to treatment instead.
Items in an College Consent Form
There are certain elements that are common to all consent forms:
The patient’s medical condition or diagnosis
The procedure recommended by the doctor in charge
The risks and advantages associated with this treatment
Alternative treatments that are available, as well as their risks and benefits
The risks and benefits that come of refusing treatment whatsoever
These details must not only be recorded in the documentation, but they must also have a discussion with the patient. This way, he or she will fully understand the specifics of the situation and will be able to get immediate answers to any issues that may have arisen.
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