Informed Consent Form For Home Health Care – Every person should be able to make informed decisions about their healthcare. Medical procedures can be risky, therefore patients should be able, in the end, to decide according to the known risks, how their bodies will be treated. Thus, before medical professionals are allowed to treat patients, they have to obtain what is known as informed consent.
The informed consent requirement is legal requirement under which a patient is provided with detailed information about his or her physical state and the recommended treatment by the acting physician. Once this information is received the patient has to offer the physician consent to treat prior to any form of care can be administered. Without the patient’s informed consent health care professional is not permitted to offer treatment.
Decision Making Capacity
In some cases, patients do not possess the capacity to comprehend their treatment options and the risks/benefits associated with each one. In other cases, patients may not be able to communicate their decisions to the health workers. If this happens it is believed that the patient to not possess adequate decision making capacity. An individual from the family or court-appointed representative, then, is allowed to provide informed consent instead.
Patients who are strongly affected by their emotions – anxiety or fear for instance are deemed lacking the ability to make decisions. Those who are unconscious clearly cannot make decisions on their independent of themselves, so outsiders must provide consent for treatment instead.
Items in an Informed Consent Form For Home Health Care
There are certain elements that are universally included in informed consent forms:
The diagnosis or medical condition of the patient.
The treatment suggested by the physician in charge
The risks and benefits that come with this method of treatment
There are alternative treatments offered, as are their risks and benefits
The potential risks and rewards of refusing treatment at all
Not only must these items be documented in a written document However, they should also been discussed by the patient. This way, he or she will fully understand the details of the situation and will be able to get immediate answers to any issues that may arise.