Psychology Consent Form Sample – Everybody should be able to make informed decisions about their healthcare. The medical procedures can be risky, therefore patients should be able, in the end, to decide in light of known risks that their bodies should be treated. Therefore, before medical workers are allowed to be able to treat their patients, they must be given what is known as informed consent.
Informed consent constitutes a lawful requirement that requires that a patient be informed of his or her physical state and the treatment suggested by the treating physician. After receiving this information the patient is required to be able to give the physician their consent to treat prior to any form of treatment can be administered. Without informed consent from the patient health care professional is not permitted to offer treatments.
Decision Making Capacity
In certain instances patients don’t have the knowledge to fully comprehend their treatment options and the risks and benefits that come with each. In some instances, patients may not be able to convey their preferences to health care professionals. In these situations it is believed that the patient to not possess adequate capacity to make decisions. A family member or court-appointed representative in this case, can perform informed consent instead.
Patients who are influenced by their emotions – such as anxiety or fear for instance can be deemed to not having the capacity for decision-making. The patients who are unconscious cannot make decisions on their independent of themselves, so outsiders must provide consent for treatment instead.
Items in an Psychology Consent Form Sample
Certain elements are common to all consent forms:
The patient’s medical conditions/diagnosis
The treatment suggested by the physician who is acting
The risks and advantages associated with this treatment
Alternative treatments are offered, as are their risks and benefits
The benefits and risks associated of refusing treatment at all
These details must not only be documented in a written document however, they must discuss the situation with patients. This way, he can fully comprehend all the details of the scenario and receive direct responses to any queries that might have arisen.