Std Consent Form – Every person should be able to make informed choices about their healthcare. The medical procedures can be risky, therefore patients should be able, in the end, to decide in light of known risks of their body, how it will be treated. Thus, before medical personnel are permitted to provide treatment to patients they must obtain the process of informed consent.
The informed consent requirement is legal requirement that requires that a patient be provided with a full and complete description of the condition of their body and the treatment suggested by the acting physician. After receiving this information the patient has to be able to give the physician their consent to treat prior to any form of care is offered. Without the patient’s informed consent any health professional is not permitted to offer treatment.
Decision Making Capacity
In some instances patients may not have the skills to comprehend the options for treatment and the potential risks and benefits associated with each one. In other cases patients might not be able communicate their decisions to the health workers. When this occurs the patient is considered to lack the appropriate capacity for decision-making. Family members or a court-appointed representative, could then be able to perform informed consent instead.
Patients who are greatly influenced by their emotions – anxiety or fear, for instance are deemed not possessing decision making capacity. People who are not conscious cannot take decisions on their own, and outside parties must provide consent for treatment instead.
Items in an Std Consent Form
Certain elements are generally included in informed consent forms:
The patient’s medical conditions/diagnosis
The treatment recommended by the acting physician
The risks and benefits associated with this method of treatment
Alternative treatments that are available, along with their benefits and risks
The risks and benefits that come with accepting no treatment at all
These details must not only be documented in a written document They must also been discussed by the patient. In this way, he or she will fully understand the particulars of the case and receive direct responses to any issues that may arise.