Hipaa Patient Consent Form – Everyone should have the ability to make informed decisions regarding their healthcare. Medical treatments can be invasive, so patients should be able to decide according to the known risks of their body, how it will be treated. Thus, before medical professionals can treat patients, they need to receive what is known as informed consent.
Informed consent , a requirement in law is the condition that requires that a patient be provided with detailed information about the physical condition as well as the treatment that is recommended by the acting physician. Once this information is received the patient has to be able to give the physician their consent to treat prior to any form of treatment is given. Without the patient’s informed consent health care professional cannot provide treatments.
Decision Making Capacity
In certain instances the patients aren’t equipped with the capacity to comprehend their treatment options , as well as the risks/benefits associated with each. In other instances patients might not be able to effectively explain their decisions to health workers. If this happens it is believed that the patient to not possess adequate capacity to make decisions. If a family member is not present, or court-appointed representative, can give informed consent in lieu of the patient.
Patients that are strongly influenced by their emotions – anxiety or fear for instance they could be judged as not able to make decisions. The patients who are unconscious are unable to make decisions on their own, and outside parties have to give consent for treatment instead.
Items in an Hipaa Patient Consent Form
There are certain elements that are universally included in informed consent forms:
The patient’s medical condition or diagnosis
The treatment recommended by the doctor in charge
The risks and the benefits associated with this treatment
Alternative treatments are also offered, as are their risks and benefits
The dangers and advantages with refusing treatment whatsoever
Not only must these items be documented, but they must also communicated with the person receiving the treatment. In this way, he or can be fully aware of what is happening and will receive immediate responses to any queries that might have arisen.