Informed Consent Form Psychology – Every person should be able to make informed decisions regarding their healthcare. Medical procedures can be risky, therefore patients should be able to determine according to the known risks of their body, how it will be treated. Therefore, before medical workers can provide treatment to patients they must obtain what is known as informed consent.
Informed consent is a legal requirement under which a patient has been given a complete and accurate description of his or her physical state and the treatment recommended by the doctor in charge. Once this information is received the patient has to offer the physician consent to treat before any form of care can be administered. Without the patient’s informed consent health care professional is not permitted to provide treatments.
Decision Making Capacity
In certain situations the patients aren’t equipped with the knowledge to fully comprehend their treatment options and the potential risks and benefits associated with each one. In other instances patients may not be able to effectively convey their preferences to health workers. When this occurs patients are said not to have adequate capacity to make decisions. The family member, or court appointed representative in this case, can perform informed consent instead.
Patients who are influenced by their emotions – anxiety or fear, for instance they could be judged as not able to make decisions. The ones who are asleep clearly cannot make decisions on independent of themselves, so outsiders are required to obtain consent instead.
Items in an Informed Consent Form Psychology
Certain elements are universally included in informed consent forms:
The patient’s medical condition/diagnosis
The procedure recommended by the medical professional in charge
The risks and the benefits associated with this treatment
Alternative treatments are readily available, along with their risks and benefits
The potential risks and rewards with not accepting any treatment at all
These items must not only be documented in a written document however, they must have a discussion with the patient. In this way, he or can be fully aware of all the details of the scenario and will be able to get immediate answers to any questions that may arise.
Download Informed Consent Form Psychology
Gallery of Informed Consent Form Psychology
