Parental Consent To Treatment Form – Every person should be able to make educated decisions about their health. Medical treatments can be quite demanding, and therefore patients should be able to determine the risks that are known to be present and the way their bodies will be treated. Thus, before medical personnel are permitted to treat patients, they need to receive the process of informed consent.
Informed consent constitutes a lawful requirement under which a patient is provided with detailed information about his or her physical condition and the recommended treatment by the treating physician. Once this information is received patients must provide the physician with consent to treat prior to any form or treatment can be given. Without the patient’s informed consent the health professional cannot offer treatment.
Decision Making Capacity
In certain situations the patients aren’t equipped with the skills to comprehend the options for treatment and the benefits and risks associated with each one. In other instances patients may not be able convey their preferences to health care professionals. If this happens, the patient is said not to have adequate decision making capacity. The family member, or court-appointed representative then, is allowed to perform informed consent instead.
Patients who are heavily influenced by their emotions, like anxiety or fear for instance they could be judged as not having the capacity for decision-making. Patients who are in the state of unconscious cannot take decisions on their independent of themselves, so outsiders need to consent to treatment instead.
Items in an Parental Consent To Treatment Form
Certain elements 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 the benefits associated with this procedure
Alternative treatments are also available, as well as their potential risks and benefits
The dangers and advantages of refusing treatment whatsoever
These details must not only be recorded in the documentation They must also been discussed by the patient. So, he can be fully aware of the particulars of the case and can get direct answers to any issues that may have arisen.