Texas Informed Consent Form – Everyone should have the ability to make informed decisions about their healthcare. The medical procedures can be demanding, and therefore patients should be able, in the end, to decide, based on known risks of their body, how it will be treated. So, before medical professionals are allowed to provide treatment to patients they must be given the process of informed consent.
Informed consent constitutes a lawful condition where a patient is provided with a full and complete description of the physical condition and the treatment recommended by the physician in charge. After receiving this information the patient has to offer the physician consent to treat prior to any form of treatment is offered. Without informed consent from the patient, a health care provider cannot offer treatments.
Decision Making Capacity
In some instances, patients do not possess the capabilities to fully understand their treatment options and the risks/benefits of each one. In other situations, patients may not be able communicate their decision to health care professionals. When this occurs, the patient is said to lack the necessary capacity for decision-making. An individual from the family or court-appointed representative, then, is allowed to provide informed consent instead.
Patients who are strongly affected by their emotions, such as anxiety or fear, as an example are deemed not possessing decision making capacity. Patients who are in the state of unconscious are unable to make decisions on their independent of themselves, so outsiders must provide consent for treatment instead.
Items in an Texas Informed Consent Form
Certain elements are included on all informed consent forms:
The patient’s medical conditions/diagnosis
The recommended treatment is suggested by the medical professional in charge
The risks and the benefits associated with this procedure
Alternative treatments that are available, along with their risks and benefits
The dangers and advantages with refusing treatment at all
These details must not only be documented in a written document, but they must also have a discussion with the patient. In this way, he or can fully comprehend the specifics of the situation and can get direct answers to any questions that arise.