Parental Consent Form Template – Everyone should have the ability to make educated decisions about their healthcare. Medical treatments can be risky, therefore patients should be able to ultimately determine in light of known risks that their bodies should be treated. In order to ensure that medical professionals are allowed to be able to treat their patients, they must obtain the process of informed consent.
A patient’s informed consent can be a legally binding condition in which patients are provided with a full and complete description of the physical condition and the treatment recommended by the doctor in charge. Once this information is received the patient must offer the physician consent to treat prior to any form or treatment can be delivered. Without informed consent from the patient health care professional is not permitted to provide treatment.
Decision Making Capacity
In certain instances patients lack the capacity to comprehend the options for treatment and the risks/benefits associated with each one. In other cases, patients may not be able explain their decisions to health care professionals. Under these circumstances it is believed that the patient not to possess the proper capacity for decision-making. If a family member is not present, or court-appointed representative, could then be able to make informed consent on behalf of the patient.
Patients that are strongly influenced by their emotions such as anxiety or fear for instance – may be determined as not having the capacity for decision-making. Patients who are in the state of unconscious are unable to make decisions on their independent of themselves, so outsiders require consent for treatment instead.
Items in an Parental Consent Form Template
Certain elements are commonly 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 procedure
Alternative treatments are offered, as are their potential risks and benefits
The benefits and risks associated with refusing treatment at all
The items should not only be documented however, they must have a discussion with the patient. This way, he or will be able to comprehend all the details of the scenario and will be able to get immediate answers to any questions that may have arisen.