Counselling Consent Form Template – Every person should be able to make informed choices about their healthcare. Medical treatments can be quite invasive, so patients should be able to determine according to the known risks that their bodies should be treated. Thus, before medical professionals can provide treatment to patients they have to obtain the process of informed consent.
Informed consent , a requirement in law is the condition in which patients are provided with detailed information about his or her physical state and the treatment recommended by the physician in charge. After receiving this information, the patient must give the doctor their consent to treat prior to any form of treatment is provided. Without informed consent from the patient any health professional is not permitted to provide treatment.
Decision Making Capacity
In certain instances the patients aren’t equipped with the capacity to comprehend their treatment options and the potential risks and benefits associated with each one. In other cases, patients may not be able communicate their decisions to the health care professionals. In such situations the patient is considered to lack the appropriate capacity to make decisions. A family member or court-appointed representative, will then be permitted to perform informed consent instead.
Patients that are strongly influenced by their emotions such as anxiety or fear, as an example can be deemed to not having the capacity to make decisions. Patients who are in the state of unconscious cannot make decisions on their own. Therefore, outside parties need to consent to treatment instead.
Items in an Counselling Consent Form Template
Certain elements are included on all informed consent forms:
The patient’s medical condition or diagnosis
The recommended treatment is suggested by the physician in charge
The risks and the benefits associated with this treatment
Alternative treatments are also available, along with their potential risks and benefits
The benefits and risks associated with refusing treatment at all
These items must not only be documented in a written document however, they must discuss the situation with patients. This way, he or is able to fully comprehend all the details of the scenario and receive direct responses to any issues that may be arising.