Hospital Admission Consent Form Format – Everyone should be able to make informed decisions regarding their medical care. Medical treatments can be quite invasive, so patients should be able decide according to the known risks, how their bodies will be treated. Thus, before medical personnel are allowed to operate on patients, they have to obtain the so-called informed consent.
A patient’s informed consent can be a legally binding requirement that requires that a patient be provided with a full and complete description of his or her physical condition and the recommended treatment by the acting physician. After receiving this information, the patient must give the doctor their consent to treat before any form or treatment can be administered. Without the patient’s informed consent any health professional is not allowed to provide treatment.
Decision Making Capacity
In certain instances, patients do not possess the skills to comprehend their treatment options , as well as the benefits and risks associated with each. In other cases patients may not be able communicate their decision to health care professionals. In these situations the patient is said to not possess adequate decision making capacity. The family member, or court-appointed representative will then be permitted to provide informed consent instead.
Patients that are strongly influenced by their emotions, like anxiety or fear for instance they could be judged as not having the capacity to make decisions. The patients who are unconscious cannot make decisions on own. Therefore, outside parties require consent for treatment instead.
Items in an Hospital Admission Consent Form Format
There are certain elements that are universally included in informed consent forms:
The patient’s medical conditions/diagnosis
The recommended treatment is suggested by the physician in charge
The benefits and risks associated with this treatment
Alternative treatments are also available, along with their potential risks and benefits
The risks and benefits that come with refusing any treatment whatsoever
These items must not only be recorded in the patient’s medical records however, they must been discussed by the patient. In this way, he or can fully comprehend the details of the situation and will receive immediate responses to any questions that may arise.