Professional Counseling Informed Consent Form Florida – Every person 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. Thus, before medical professionals are allowed to treat patients, they have to obtain the so-called informed consent.
A patient’s informed consent can be a legally binding requirement in which patients are provided with detailed information about his or her physical health and the treatment recommended by the physician who is acting as the patient’s physician. After receiving this information patients must provide the physician with consent to treat prior to any form of treatment can be given. Without the patient’s informed consent health care professional is not permitted to offer treatments.
Decision Making Capacity
In certain instances patients may not have the knowledge to fully comprehend their treatment options , as well as the potential risks and benefits associated with each one. In other cases patients may not be able to effectively communicate their decision to health professionals. In such situations patients are said not to have adequate decision making capacity. Family members or a court-appointed representative then, is allowed to make informed consent on behalf of the patient.
Patients who are influenced by their emotions – such as anxiety or fear, for example – may be determined as not able to make decisions. Those who are unconscious clearly cannot make decisions on own. Therefore, outside parties have to give consent for treatment instead.
Items in an Professional Counseling Informed Consent Form Florida
Certain elements are common to all consent forms:
The diagnosis or medical condition of the patient.
The recommended treatment is suggested by the doctor in charge
The risks and benefits associated with this procedure
Alternative treatments that are offered, as are their potential risks and benefits
The benefits and risks associated with accepting no treatment at all
These details must not only be recorded in the documentation, but they must also been discussed by the patient. This way, he or she will fully understand all the details of the scenario and will be able to get immediate answers to any concerns that might arise.