Under 18 Parental Consent Form British Council – Everyone should be able to make educated decisions about their medical care. Treatments for medical conditions can be demanding, and therefore patients should be able to ultimately determine the risks that are known to be present of their body, how it will be treated. In order to ensure that medical professionals are permitted to operate on patients, they need to receive the process of informed consent.
Informed consent constitutes a lawful condition under which a patient has been given a complete and accurate description of his or her physical state and the treatment suggested by the physician who is acting as the patient’s physician. Once this information is received the patient must sign a consent form with the doctor to treat before any form of treatment can be provided. Without informed consent from the patient health care professional is not allowed to provide treatments.
Decision Making Capacity
In certain instances, patients do not possess the knowledge to fully comprehend their treatment options and the risks/benefits associated with each. In other situations patients might not be able to effectively explain their decisions to health care professionals. In such situations patients are said to not possess adequate capacity for decision-making. An individual from the family or court-appointed representative, then, is allowed to perform informed consent instead.
Patients who are heavily influenced by their emotions – anxiety or fear for instance they could be judged as lacking the ability to make decisions. Those who are unconscious clearly cannot make decisions on their independently, and other people are required to obtain consent instead.
Items in an Under 18 Parental Consent Form British Council
There are certain elements that are commonly included in informed consent forms:
The patient’s medical conditions/diagnosis
The treatment that is recommended by the physician in charge
The risks and the benefits associated with this method of treatment
Alternative treatments that are available, along with their risks and benefits
The risks and benefits associated with refusing any treatment at all
These items must not only be documented in a written document They must also been discussed by the patient. So, he she will fully understand the details of the situation and get straight answers to any questions that may be arising.