Patient Transfer Consent Form – Everybody should be able to make educated decisions about their health. Medical procedures can be invasive, so patients should be able to decide the risks that are known to be present and the way their bodies will be treated. Therefore, before medical workers are permitted to be able to treat their patients, they have to obtain the so-called informed consent.
The informed consent requirement is legal requirement where a patient is given a complete and accurate description of his or her physical health and the treatment recommended by the physician in charge. Once this information is received, the patient must give the doctor their consent to treat prior to any form of treatment is offered. Without informed consent from the patient any health professional is not permitted to provide treatment.
Decision Making Capacity
In some instances patients don’t have the capabilities to fully understand the options for treatment and the risks and benefits that come with each. In other cases patients might not be able to effectively communicate their decisions to the health professionals. In such situations it is believed that the patient to not possess adequate capacity for decision-making. If a family member is not present, or court-appointed representative in this case, can take over informed consent.
Patients who are strongly affected by their emotions, such as anxiety or fear, as an example can be deemed to not possessing decision making capacity. People who are not conscious are unable to make decisions on their alone, and external parties require consent for treatment instead.
Items in an Patient Transfer Consent Form
There are certain elements that are commonly included in informed consent forms:
The patient’s medical diagnosis/condition
The treatment that is recommended by the acting physician
The risks and benefits that come with this treatment
Alternative treatments are available, as well as their benefits and risks
The risks and benefits associated with refusing treatment at all
These details must not only be documented They must also discuss the situation with patients. In this way, he or she will fully understand the particulars of the case and will be able to get immediate answers to any issues that may have arisen.