Informed Consent Form Physiotherapy – Every person should be able to make informed decisions about their health. Medical treatments can be invasive, so patients should be able decide from the facts about risks that their bodies should be treated. Thus, before medical personnel are allowed to provide treatment to patients they must be given the process of informed consent.
Informed consent , a requirement in law is the condition under which a patient is provided with detailed information about his or her physical state and the recommended treatment by the treating physician. Once this information is received the patient is required to be able to give the physician their consent to treat before any form of treatment can be administered. Without informed consent from the patient the health professional is not allowed to provide treatment.
Decision Making Capacity
In some instances patients lack the skills to comprehend their options regarding treatment, and the benefits and risks associated with each. In other situations, patients may not be able to effectively explain their decisions to health workers. In these situations, the patient is said to lack the appropriate decision making capacity. The family member, or court-appointed representative will then be permitted to provide informed consent instead.
Patients who are greatly influenced by their emotions, like anxiety or fear for instance can be deemed to lacking the ability to make decisions. Patients who are in the state of unconscious cannot make decisions on alone, and external parties are required to obtain consent instead.
Items in an Informed Consent Form Physiotherapy
Certain elements are universally included in informed consent forms:
The patient’s medical diagnosis/condition
The treatment suggested by the doctor in charge
The risks and the benefits associated with this procedure
Alternative treatments are readily available, along with their potential risks and benefits
The potential risks and rewards with not accepting any treatment whatsoever
These details must not only be recorded in the documentation, but they must also been discussed by the patient. This way, he will be able to comprehend the details of the situation and will receive immediate responses to any questions that may have arisen.