Free Medical Consent Form – Every person should be able to make informed choices about their medical care. Medical procedures can be risky, therefore patients should be able to ultimately determine the risks that are known to be present of their body, how it will be treated. Therefore, before medical workers can treat patients, they must receive the so-called informed consent.
Informed consent is a legal condition that requires that a patient be informed of his or her physical condition as well as the treatment that is recommended by the physician in charge. After receiving this information patients must sign a consent form with the doctor to treat before any form of treatment can be provided. Without informed consent from the patient any health professional is not permitted to offer treatments.
Decision Making Capacity
In certain instances patients lack the skills to comprehend their treatment options and the risks/benefits of each one. In other instances patients might not be able to effectively communicate their choices to health care professionals. In these situations it is believed that the patient to lack the appropriate capacity for decision-making. The family member, or court appointed representative can give informed consent in lieu of the patient.
Patients who are strongly affected by their emotions – anxiety or fear for instance they could be judged as not having the capacity to make decisions. Patients who are in the state of unconscious are unable to make decisions on their own. Therefore, outside parties must provide consent for treatment instead.
Items in an Free Medical Consent Form
Certain elements are common to all consent forms:
The patient’s medical diagnosis/condition
The treatment suggested by the physician in charge
The risks and benefits associated with this method of treatment
There are alternative treatments offered, as are their benefits and risks
The dangers and advantages with not accepting any treatment at all
These details must not only be recorded in the documentation however, they must communicated with the person receiving the treatment. This way, he or will be able to comprehend the specifics of the situation and will be able to get immediate answers to any concerns that might have arisen.
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