Who Can Sign Medical Consent Forms – Everyone should be able to make informed decisions regarding their medical care. The medical procedures can be sensitive, so patients must be able decide the risks that are known to be present that their bodies should be treated. In order to ensure that medical professionals can operate on patients, they have to obtain the so-called informed consent.
The informed consent requirement is legal condition under which a patient is provided with a full and complete description of his or her physical health and the recommended treatment by the physician who is acting as the patient’s physician. After receiving this information patients must offer the physician consent to treat prior to any form of care can be administered. Without informed consent from the patient, a health care provider cannot provide treatment.
Decision Making Capacity
In some cases patients lack the capabilities to fully understand their treatment options and the potential risks and benefits associated with each one. In other cases patients might not be able to convey their preferences to health professionals. In these situations patients are said to not possess adequate capacity for decision-making. Family members or a court-appointed representative, then, is allowed to make informed consent on behalf of the patient.
Patients who are strongly affected by their emotions such as anxiety or fear, as an example they could be judged as not possessing decision making capacity. The patients who are unconscious are unable to make decisions on their independent of themselves, so outsiders require consent for treatment instead.
Items in an Who Can Sign Medical Consent Forms
Certain elements are universally included in informed consent forms:
The patient’s medical condition/diagnosis
The recommended treatment is suggested by the acting physician
The risks and benefits that come with this method of treatment
Alternative treatments that are offered, as are their risks and benefits
The potential risks and rewards with accepting no treatment at all
Not only must these items be documented However, they should also been discussed by the patient. In this way, he or will be able to comprehend what is happening and will be able to get immediate answers to any concerns that might arise.