Who Informed Consent Form – Everyone should be able to make educated decisions about their healthcare. Medical procedures can be injurious, and patients must be able decide in light of known risks that their bodies should be treated. In order to ensure that medical professionals can administer treatments to patients, they must obtain what is known as informed consent.
The informed consent requirement is legal requirement where a patient is provided with detailed information about the condition of their body and the treatment suggested by the acting physician. After receiving this information the patient must sign a consent form with the doctor to treat before any form of care is delivered. Without informed consent from the patient health care professional is not permitted to provide treatment.
Decision Making Capacity
In certain situations patients may not have the skills to comprehend their treatment options , as well as the risks/benefits associated with each one. In other situations patients might not be able to communicate their decision to health workers. In these situations patients are said to lack the necessary capacity to make decisions. If a family member is not present, or court appointed representative in this case, can give informed consent in lieu of the patient.
Patients that are strongly influenced by their emotions, such as anxiety or fear, for instance – may be determined as not able to make decisions. People who are not conscious cannot make decisions on their independent of themselves, so outsiders must provide consent for treatment instead.
Items in an Who Informed Consent Form
There are certain elements that are common to all consent forms:
The patient’s medical condition/diagnosis
The treatment suggested by the acting physician
The benefits and risks associated with this method of treatment
Alternative treatments are also available, along with their potential risks and benefits
The potential risks and rewards with refusing treatment whatsoever
These items must not only be documented however, they must communicated with the person receiving the treatment. So, he will be able to comprehend all the details of the scenario and will be able to get immediate answers to any queries that might have arisen.