Parent Consent Form Template – Everyone should have the ability to make informed choices about their medical care. The medical procedures can be risky, therefore patients should be able to ultimately determine from the facts about risks as well as their own personal preferences, how they will be treated. Thus, before medical personnel are permitted to treat patients, they need to receive the so-called informed consent.
Informed consent is a legal requirement under which a patient is given a complete and accurate description of his or her physical health and the treatment recommended by the doctor in charge. Once this information is received patients must provide the physician with consent to treat before any form or treatment can be administered. Without informed consent from the patient health care professional is not permitted to offer treatment.
Decision Making Capacity
In certain situations patients lack the skills to comprehend their treatment options and the risks/benefits associated with each. In other instances patients might not be able to effectively convey their preferences to health professionals. Under these circumstances patients are said to lack the necessary capacity to make decisions. The family member, or court appointed representative in this case, can perform informed consent instead.
Patients who are heavily influenced by their emotions, like anxiety or fear, as an example can be deemed to not able to make decisions. Patients who are in the state of unconscious cannot make decisions on their alone, and external parties need to consent to treatment instead.
Items in an Parent Consent Form Template
There are certain elements that are common to all consent forms:
The diagnosis or medical condition of the patient.
The treatment suggested by the acting physician
The risks and benefits that come with this method of treatment
Alternative treatments are also available, as well as their benefits and risks
The risks and benefits that come with refusing any treatment at all
These details must not only be detailed in documentation, but they must also communicated with the person receiving the treatment. This way, he can fully comprehend what is happening and receive direct responses to any issues that may arise.