Emergency Contact Consent Form – Everyone should have the ability to make educated decisions about their medical care. The medical procedures can be injurious, and patients must be able to determine from the facts about risks, how their bodies will be treated. Thus, before medical professionals are permitted to provide treatment to patients they must receive the process of informed consent.
A patient’s informed consent can be a legally binding requirement in which patients are informed of the physical condition and the recommended treatment by the physician who is acting as the patient’s physician. After receiving this information, the patient must offer the physician consent to treat prior to any form of care is delivered. Without informed consent from the patient any health professional cannot provide treatment.
Decision Making Capacity
In certain instances patients don’t have the ability to comprehend their options regarding treatment, and the risks/benefits of each. In other cases, patients may not be able to explain their decisions to health professionals. When this occurs, the patient is said not to have adequate decision making capacity. An individual from the family or court appointed representative can perform informed consent instead.
Patients who are strongly affected by their emotions such as anxiety or fear for instance – may be determined as not possessing decision making capacity. People who are not conscious cannot make decisions on independent of themselves, so outsiders are required to obtain consent instead.
Items in an Emergency Contact Consent Form
Certain elements are generally included in informed consent forms:
The patient’s medical condition/diagnosis
The procedure recommended by the medical professional in charge
The risks and the benefits associated with this procedure
There are alternative treatments offered, as are their risks and benefits
The risks and benefits associated with refusing any treatment whatsoever
Not only should these details be recorded in the documentation But they also need to discuss the situation with patients. This way, he will be able to comprehend what is happening and will be able to get immediate answers to any questions that may be arising.