E Signature Consent Form – Everyone should have the ability to make informed decisions regarding their medical care. Medical treatments can be quite invasive, so patients should be able to ultimately determine according to the known risks of their body, how it will be treated. Thus, before medical professionals are allowed to administer treatments to patients, they need to receive what is known as informed consent.
Informed consent constitutes a lawful condition under which a patient has been given a complete and accurate description of his or her physical health and the treatment recommended by the physician in charge. Once this information is received, the patient must give the doctor their consent to treat prior to any form or treatment can be offered. Without informed consent from the patient an health care professional is not permitted to offer treatments.
Decision Making Capacity
In certain situations patients lack the knowledge to fully comprehend their options in terms of treatment and the potential risks and benefits associated with each. In other situations, patients may not be able communicate their choices to health professionals. If this happens the patient is considered to not possess adequate capacity for decision-making. An individual from the family or court-appointed representative will then be permitted to give informed consent in lieu of the patient.
Patients who are influenced by their emotions, such as anxiety or fear for instance they could be judged as lacking the ability to make decisions. The patients who are unconscious can’t make decisions on own, and outside parties need to consent to treatment instead.
Items in an E Signature Consent Form
There are certain elements that are common to all consent forms:
The patient’s medical conditions/diagnosis
The treatment suggested by the doctor in charge
The risks and benefits that come with this method of treatment
Alternative treatments are also available, as well as their risks and benefits
The risks and benefits that come with accepting no treatment at all
These items must not only be recorded in the patient’s medical records however, they must have a discussion with the patient. In this way, he or she will fully understand the details of the situation and will receive immediate responses to any questions that have arisen.