Minor Surgery Consent Form – Every person should be able to make informed choices about their health. Medical procedures can be invasive, so patients should be able to determine, based on known risks of their body, how it will be treated. So, before medical professionals are allowed to be able to treat their patients, they must be given the so-called informed consent.
Informed consent constitutes a lawful requirement under which a patient has been provided with a full and complete description of his or her physical health and the treatment recommended by the physician in charge. After receiving this information the patient must sign a consent form with the doctor to treat prior to any form of care is offered. Without the patient’s informed consent any health professional is not permitted to offer treatments.
Decision Making Capacity
In certain instances patients don’t have the capabilities to fully understand their options in terms of treatment and the risks and benefits that come with each one. In other instances, patients may not be able communicate their decisions to the health professionals. When this occurs 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 who are greatly influenced by their emotions such as anxiety or fear, as an example they could be judged as not having the capacity for decision-making. Patients who are in the state of unconscious can’t make decisions on alone, and external parties need to consent to treatment instead.
Items in an Minor Surgery Consent Form
There are certain elements that are commonly included in informed consent forms:
The patient’s medical conditions/diagnosis
The treatment suggested by the physician who is acting
The risks and advantages associated with this method of treatment
Alternative treatments are also offered, as are their potential risks and benefits
The risks and benefits associated with accepting no treatment at all
These items must not only be documented in a written document But they also need to been discussed by the patient. This way, he or is able to fully comprehend the specifics of the situation and will receive immediate responses to any questions that be arising.