Sample Medical Consent Form – Every person should be able to make educated decisions about their healthcare. Treatments for medical conditions can be sensitive, so patients must be able decide in light of known risks that their bodies should be treated. So, before medical professionals are permitted to administer treatments to patients, they must be given the process of informed consent.
Informed consent , a requirement in law is the requirement in which patients are provided with specific information regarding his or her physical state and the treatment recommended by the physician in charge. After receiving this information patients must be able to give the physician their consent to treat before any form of treatment is given. Without informed consent from the patient an health care professional cannot offer treatment.
Decision Making Capacity
In certain instances patients may not have the capacity to comprehend their options regarding treatment, and the potential risks and benefits associated with each. In other cases patients might not be able communicate their choices to health professionals. When this occurs it is believed that the patient not to possess the proper capacity to make decisions. The family member, or court-appointed representative could then be able to perform informed consent instead.
Patients who are influenced by their emotions, like anxiety or fear, for example they could be judged as not possessing decision making capacity. Patients who are in the state of unconscious cannot take decisions on their alone, and external parties need to consent to treatment instead.
Items in an Sample Medical Consent Form
There are certain elements that are common to all consent forms:
The patient’s medical conditions/diagnosis
The procedure recommended by the medical professional in charge
The benefits and risks associated with this procedure
Alternative treatments are readily offered, as are their risks and benefits
The risks and benefits that come of refusing treatment at all
These items must not only be recorded in the documentation, but they must also discuss the situation with patients. So, he will be able to comprehend all the details of the scenario and can get direct answers to any queries that might arise.