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A medical consent form is an essential document in emergency when you are not able to inform the doctor about your medical history. This form allows the health care providers that they will provide you the care you require in a life-threatening situation. The primary goal of this form is to protect the patient. Moreover, it is important for the doctor to obtain the consent of the patient before carrying out an operation, treatment, or procedure.
A medical consent form is the best way to obtain the consent of the patient. It is also required to inform the patient about his/her medical condition. Doing so allows the patient to decide either he/she should get this treatment or not. It is also legally required that consent form includes all the real facts of the treatment/procedure.
What to include in a medical consent form?
Medical consent form includes the following details in it;
- Name of the patient
- Patient’s personal details
- Problem diagnosed by the doctor
- Treatment
- Proposed treatment
- The side effects associated with the proposed treatment
- Benefits of the proposed treatment
- Any other treatment
You can also take a look at a medical consent form in order to find out what else is included in it. Some situations don’t require a consent form like simple diagnostic tests. Situations where your actions indicate consent don’t require this form. For instance, for lab tests, if you visit your doctor to provide blood sample then your consent is assumed.
However, some treatments can cause serious harm and place you in an endangered position. In such cases, after considering your risks and weighing your options, you have to make decision. To do that, you have to require all the important information related to your medical problem and the treatment you can receive. Thus, you can get this information via medical consent form.
You should bear in mind that this form not list down all of the possible risks of a particular procedure or treatment. Doctor’s also don’t know some complications and risks. Some risks may be rare and can’t be predicted. Only the most common and serious risks of a procedure or treatment are disclosed by the consent form. It may also disclose those risks that are applied to the individual patient.
The consent should meet the following three requirements:
1. Must be voluntary:
The consent that is provided by the patient must be voluntary. This states that the patient should make his/her own decision either to consent or not to consent. Never make decisions by the pressure from family, friends, or the medical staff.
2. Must be informed:
The consent of patients is obtained after providing them all the medical problem and treatment related information. This includes the advantages and risks, alternative treatments, and what’s will happen if the treatment isn’t performed.
3. Must have mental capacity to provide consent:
The final requirement is that the patient is mentally capable of providing consent. The patient must have the mental capacity to understand the information given to him/her. Furthermore, he/she makes an informed decision.
If the patient is able of making an informed and voluntary decision then his/her decision should be respected. But patient still refuses to provide consent for a specific treatment. However, if the decision is likely to result in the patient’s death then still doctors must respect the decision of the patient. On the other hand, if the patient isn’t able to make voluntary and informed decisions then doctors have right to go with the treatment that is best for the patient’s health.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, a medical consent form is a legal document that allows another person to acts on your behalf in a medical emergency. This form should contain all the essential information related to the patient’s medical history. You can obtain consent from the patient in two ways i.e. verbal consent and written consent. The written consent is secured.
