Parental Consent Form South Africa – Everyone should have the ability to make educated decisions about their healthcare. Medical treatments can be quite injurious, and patients must be able to determine, based on known risks that their bodies should be treated. Therefore, before medical workers can administer treatments to patients, they have to obtain the so-called informed consent.
Informed consent , a requirement in law is the requirement in which patients are given a complete and accurate description of his or her physical health and the recommended treatment by the doctor in charge. Once this information is received, the patient must offer the physician consent to treat before any form of treatment can be provided. Without informed consent from the patient health care professional is not allowed to provide treatments.
Decision Making Capacity
In some cases patients don’t have the knowledge to fully comprehend their options regarding treatment, and the benefits and risks associated with each. In other situations, patients may not be able communicate their decisions to the health workers. If this happens the patient is said not to have adequate capacity for decision-making. A family member or court-appointed representative, will then be permitted to perform informed consent instead.
Patients who are heavily influenced by their emotions, like anxiety or fear, for example could be classified as not having the capacity for decision-making. Patients who are in the state of unconscious are unable to make decisions on their independently, and other people require consent for treatment instead.
Items in an Parental Consent Form South Africa
There are certain elements that are common to all consent forms:
The diagnosis or medical condition of the patient.
The treatment recommended by the physician who is acting
The risks and advantages associated with this method of treatment
Alternative treatments that are offered, as are their risks and benefits
The risks and benefits that come with not accepting any treatment whatsoever
These details must not only be documented in a written document But they also need to communicated with the person receiving the treatment. This way, he or is able to fully comprehend the specifics of the situation and will be able to get immediate answers to any queries that might have arisen.