Signed Consent Form – Every person should be able to make informed decisions about their healthcare. Medical treatments can be quite sensitive, so patients must be able to determine, based on known risks of their body, how it will be treated. In order to ensure that medical professionals are allowed to treat patients, they must obtain what is known as informed consent.
Informed consent is a legal condition that requires that a patient be provided with specific information regarding the condition of their body and the treatment recommended by the treating physician. After receiving this information the patient has to offer the physician consent to treat prior to any form or treatment can be given. Without the patient’s informed consent health care professional is not permitted to provide treatment.
Decision Making Capacity
In certain instances patients don’t have the ability to comprehend the options for treatment and the benefits and risks associated with each. In other circumstances, patients may not be able to effectively communicate their decisions to the health care professionals. When this occurs it is believed that the patient not to possess the proper capacity for decision-making. If a family member is not present, 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 instance could be classified as not having the capacity for decision-making. Patients who are in the state of unconscious can’t make decisions on independent of themselves, so outsiders have to give consent for treatment instead.
Items in an Signed Consent Form
Certain elements are commonly included in informed consent forms:
The patient’s medical condition/diagnosis
The treatment suggested by the physician in charge
The risks and advantages associated with this method of treatment
Alternative treatments that are available, as well as their benefits and risks
The potential risks and rewards with refusing any treatment at all
These items must not only be detailed in documentation however, they must be discussed with the patient. This way, he or she will fully understand the details of the situation and receive direct responses to any queries that might have arisen.
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