Medical Patient Consent Form – Every person should be able to make informed decisions about their medical care. Medical treatments can be injurious, and patients must be able, in the end, to decide from the facts about risks, how their bodies will be treated. Thus, before medical personnel are permitted to be able to treat their patients, they need to receive the process of informed consent.
A patient’s informed consent can be a legally binding requirement under which a patient is given a complete and accurate description of the condition of their body and the treatment suggested by the acting physician. Once this information is received patients must be able to give the physician their consent to treat before any form of care can be offered. Without informed consent from the patient any health professional is not permitted to provide treatments.
Decision Making Capacity
In some instances patients may not have the capacity to comprehend their options in terms of treatment and the potential risks and benefits associated with each one. In other circumstances, patients may not be able communicate their decisions to the health professionals. Under these circumstances the patient is said not to possess the proper decision making capacity. A family member or court appointed representative then, is allowed to perform informed consent instead.
Patients who are strongly affected by their emotions – such as anxiety or fear, for example are deemed not possessing decision making capacity. The ones who are asleep clearly cannot make decisions on own. Therefore, outside parties require consent for treatment instead.
Items in an Medical Patient Consent Form
There are certain elements that are commonly included in informed consent forms:
The patient’s medical condition or diagnosis
The treatment recommended by the acting physician
The risks and benefits that come with this procedure
There are alternative treatments available, as well as their potential risks and benefits
The benefits and risks associated with refusing treatment at all
The items should not only be detailed in documentation But they also need to communicated with the person receiving the treatment. In this way, he or can be fully aware of the particulars of the case and will be able to get immediate answers to any questions that may arise.