Psychology Consent Form Pdf – Everyone should have the ability to make informed choices about their medical care. Medical procedures can be invasive, so patients should be able, in the end, to decide, based on known risks of their body, how it will be treated. In order to ensure that medical professionals are permitted to treat patients, they must obtain the so-called informed consent.
The informed consent requirement is legal condition where a patient is informed of the condition of their body and the recommended treatment by the physician in charge. After receiving this information patients must offer the physician consent to treat prior to any form or treatment can be delivered. Without informed consent from the patient the health professional cannot provide treatment.
Decision Making Capacity
In certain situations the patients aren’t equipped with the knowledge to fully comprehend their treatment options and the benefits and risks associated with each one. In other instances patients might not be able communicate their decisions to the health professionals. Under these circumstances the patient is said to lack the appropriate capacity to make decisions. An individual from the family or court-appointed representative, could then be able to perform informed consent instead.
Patients who are heavily influenced by their emotions – such as anxiety or fear, for example they could be judged as not possessing decision making capacity. The ones who are asleep clearly cannot take decisions on their alone, and external parties need to consent to treatment instead.
Items in an Psychology Consent Form Pdf
There are certain elements that are universally included in informed consent forms:
The patient’s medical conditions/diagnosis
The procedure recommended by the doctor in charge
The risks and the benefits associated with this treatment
Alternative treatments are readily available, as well as their risks and benefits
The risks and benefits that come with refusing any treatment at all
The items should not only be documented however, they must be discussed with the patient. This way, he is able to fully comprehend all the details of the scenario and will be able to get immediate answers to any issues that may have arisen.