Consent Form Not Required – Everyone should have the ability to make educated decisions about their medical care. Medical treatments can be quite injurious, and patients must be able to ultimately determine, based on known risks, how their bodies will be treated. Therefore, before medical workers can provide treatment to patients they have to obtain the process of informed consent.
Informed consent constitutes a lawful condition under which a patient is informed of the physical condition as well as the treatment that is recommended by the physician in charge. After receiving this information patients must give the doctor their consent to treat prior to any form of care can be given. Without the patient’s informed consent any health professional cannot provide treatments.
Decision Making Capacity
In some cases the patients aren’t equipped with the capabilities to fully understand their treatment options , as well as the risks/benefits associated with each one. In other circumstances patients might not be able to communicate their decision to health care professionals. In these situations the patient is considered to not possess adequate capacity to make decisions. A family member or court-appointed representative can perform informed consent instead.
Patients who are strongly affected by their emotions – anxiety or fear, as an example can be deemed to not possessing decision making capacity. Patients who are in the state of unconscious cannot make decisions on their alone, and external parties require consent for treatment instead.
Items in an Consent Form Not Required
Certain elements are included on all informed consent forms:
The patient’s medical conditions/diagnosis
The treatment recommended by the physician in charge
The risks and benefits associated with this treatment
Alternative treatments that are offered, as are their potential risks and benefits
The risks and benefits associated with not accepting any treatment at all
Not only must these items be documented, but they must also communicated with the person receiving the treatment. This way, he or she will fully understand all the details of the scenario and will be able to get immediate answers to any concerns that might arise.
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