Your Informed Consent Form Must Describe _______. – Every person should be able to make educated decisions about their healthcare. Treatments for medical conditions can be invasive, so patients should be able to ultimately determine, based on known risks and the way their bodies will be treated. In order to ensure that medical professionals are permitted to provide treatment to patients they have to obtain the process of informed consent.
A patient’s informed consent can be a legally binding condition that requires that a patient be provided with specific information regarding the physical condition as well as the treatment that is recommended by the doctor in charge. After receiving this information, the patient must be able to give the physician their consent to treat before any form of care is offered. Without informed consent from the patient health care professional cannot provide treatments.
Decision Making Capacity
In some cases the patients aren’t equipped with the knowledge to fully comprehend the options for treatment and the risks/benefits associated with each. In other situations patients may not be able explain their decisions to health care professionals. Under these circumstances the patient is considered not to have adequate decision making capacity. A family member or court-appointed representative can give informed consent in lieu of the patient.
Patients that are strongly influenced by their emotions, like anxiety or fear, for example are deemed not having the capacity for decision-making. Patients who are in the state of unconscious cannot make decisions on independently, and other people require consent for treatment instead.
Items in an Your Informed Consent Form Must Describe _______.
Certain elements are commonly included in informed consent forms:
The diagnosis or medical condition of the patient.
The recommended treatment is suggested by the doctor in charge
The risks and advantages associated with this method of treatment
There are alternative treatments offered, as are their potential risks and benefits
The risks and benefits associated with not accepting any treatment whatsoever
These details must not only be detailed in documentation, but they must also been discussed by the patient. This way, he is able to fully comprehend what is happening and will be able to get immediate answers to any questions that arise.