Consent To Share Medical Information With Family Member Form – Everyone should have the ability to make informed decisions about their medical care. Treatments for medical conditions can be risky, therefore patients should be able, in the end, to decide in light of known risks that their bodies should be treated. Therefore, before medical workers are permitted to treat patients, they must be given the so-called informed consent.
Informed consent is a legal condition that requires that a patient be given a complete and accurate description of his or her physical state and the treatment recommended by the acting physician. Once this information is received the patient is required to offer the physician consent to treat prior to any form of care is administered. Without the patient’s informed consent health care professional is not allowed to provide treatment.
Decision Making Capacity
In certain instances patients may not have the capacity to comprehend their treatment options , as well as the potential risks and benefits associated with each one. In other cases patients may not be able to explain their decisions to health workers. In such situations patients are said to not possess adequate decision making capacity. If a family member is not present, or court-appointed representative could then be able to take over informed consent.
Patients that are strongly influenced by their emotions, such as anxiety or fear, for example could be classified as not having the capacity for decision-making. The ones who are asleep clearly can’t make decisions on independent of themselves, so outsiders have to give consent for treatment instead.
Items in an Consent To Share Medical Information With Family Member Form
Certain elements are common to all consent forms:
The patient’s medical condition/diagnosis
The treatment suggested by the physician in charge
The risks and advantages associated with this treatment
Alternative treatments are also offered, as are their risks and benefits
The risks and benefits that come with refusing treatment at all
The items should not only be detailed in documentation But they also need to communicated with the person receiving the treatment. This way, he will be able to comprehend the particulars of the case and can get direct answers to any concerns that might be arising.