Consent Form Sample For Patient – Every person should be able to make informed decisions about their health. Medical treatments can be quite sensitive, so patients must be able decide in light of known risks that their bodies should be treated. Therefore, before medical workers can provide treatment to patients they must be given what is known as informed consent.
The informed consent requirement is legal condition that requires that a patient be provided with specific information regarding his or her physical health as well as the treatment that is recommended by the acting physician. Once this information is received the patient must provide the physician with consent to treat before any form or treatment can be administered. Without the patient’s informed consent any health professional cannot provide treatment.
Decision Making Capacity
In certain situations patients don’t have the capacity to comprehend their options in terms of treatment and the potential risks and benefits associated with each. In other situations patients might not be able to effectively communicate their decisions to the health professionals. If this happens it is believed that the patient to not possess adequate capacity for decision-making. A family member or court-appointed representative could then be able to make informed consent on behalf of the patient.
Patients who are influenced by their emotions, like anxiety or fear, for example can be deemed to lacking the ability to make decisions. Patients who are in the state of unconscious cannot take decisions on their alone, and external parties have to give consent for treatment instead.
Items in an Consent Form Sample For Patient
Certain elements are generally included in informed consent forms:
The diagnosis or medical condition of the patient.
The treatment suggested by the physician in charge
The benefits and risks associated with this treatment
Alternative treatments are also offered, as are their benefits and risks
The potential risks and rewards of refusing treatment whatsoever
Not only should these details be documented in a written document however, they must be discussed with the patient. So, he can be fully aware of all the details of the scenario and will receive immediate responses to any questions that arise.