Patient Informed Consent Form Template – Everybody should be able to make informed decisions about their healthcare. Medical treatments can be quite risky, therefore patients should be able to decide from the facts about risks that their bodies should be treated. In order to ensure that medical professionals are allowed to provide treatment to patients they have to obtain what is known as informed consent.
Informed consent is a legal condition where a patient is given a complete and accurate description of his or her physical state and the recommended treatment by the physician in charge. After receiving this information, the patient must offer the physician consent to treat before any form of care is offered. Without informed consent from the patient the health professional cannot offer treatment.
Decision Making Capacity
In certain instances patients lack the knowledge to fully comprehend their options in terms of treatment and the risks/benefits of each one. In other situations patients might not be able to explain their decisions to health workers. When this occurs it is believed that the patient to lack the appropriate capacity to make decisions. An individual from the family or court-appointed representative can perform informed consent instead.
Patients who are greatly influenced by their emotions, such as anxiety or fear, for example – may be determined as not possessing decision making capacity. The patients who are unconscious can’t make decisions on own. Therefore, outside parties have to give consent for treatment instead.
Items in an Patient Informed Consent Form Template
Certain elements are common to all consent forms:
The patient’s medical condition or diagnosis
The procedure recommended by the acting physician
The risks and advantages associated with this treatment
Alternative treatments are available, as well as their risks and benefits
The dangers and advantages with refusing treatment whatsoever
These details must not only be documented They must also be discussed with the patient. This way, he or will be able to comprehend the specifics of the situation and can get direct answers to any issues that may be arising.