VFS Consent Form – Everyone should have the ability to make informed choices about their healthcare. Medical treatments can be quite demanding, and therefore patients should be able to decide the risks that are known to be present that their bodies should be treated. Thus, before medical personnel are allowed to administer treatments to patients, they have to obtain the process of informed consent.
The informed consent requirement is legal requirement under which a patient is provided with detailed information about his or her physical health and the treatment suggested by the physician who is acting as the patient’s physician. Once this information is received patients must give the doctor their consent to treat before any form of treatment can be delivered. Without the patient’s informed consent, a health care provider cannot offer treatments.
Decision Making Capacity
In certain situations patients lack the skills to comprehend their options regarding treatment, and the risks/benefits of each. In some instances patients may not be able explain their decisions to health care professionals. Under these circumstances the patient is considered to lack the appropriate decision making capacity. If a family member is not present, or court appointed representative in this case, can perform informed consent instead.
Patients that are strongly influenced by their emotions – anxiety or fear, for example – may be determined as not having the capacity to make decisions. People who are not conscious cannot make decisions on independent of themselves, so outsiders are required to obtain consent instead.
Items in an VFS Consent Form
There are certain elements that are included on all informed consent forms:
The patient’s medical condition/diagnosis
The treatment suggested by the physician in charge
The risks and the benefits associated with this procedure
Alternative treatments that are offered, as are their benefits and risks
The benefits and risks associated of refusing treatment at all
The items should not only be documented in a written document, but they must also be discussed with the patient. In this way, he or is able to fully comprehend the details of the situation and can get direct answers to any concerns that might arise.