Informed Consent

      Informed consent is only given when the receiver-to-be has a clear appreciation and understanding of the facts, potential outcomes, as well as potential consequences.  Although this concept appears simple, it contains an entire list of potential prevention factors.  Certain impairments such as mental illness, Alzheimer's disease, intoxication, and even basic intellectual immaturity can restrict a person from granting permission to healthcare providers.  In certain cases where the individual of concern is incapable of giving his or her own consent, another person is generally authorized to give consent for said individual.  This can be seen with guardians of children, as well as conservators for the mentally ill whom of which may be rendered incapable of providing conscientious and informed consent.

      In the medical world, millions of people receive care for injuries and sickness.  All of which give consent so that medical professionals can do their job.  The process in which permission is gained before healthcare intervention on a person is granted, is called Informed Consent.  It is granted via patient permission and follows guidelines from the fields of medical ethics as well as research ethics.
      There are multiple different forms and sheets of which a person is required to sign so that the informed consent has physical and legal documentation that is created by legal standards.  Templates of these consent forms can be easily accessed on the World Health organization Website for common and practical use.  Not only are these forms required, but they are extremely useful when it comes to assessment of consent.  Assessment of consent is the process in which the determination between comprehension and confusion of the agreement is made.  This can be complex to evaluate due to the fact that neither expressions of consent, nor expressions of understanding of implications, mean that full consent was given, nor that full comprehension was successfully digested.  With the assistance of informed consent documents, the assumption that the individual comprehends the matter, is implied due to their signature of agreement.  However, without documentation, it can be stated that a person may verbally agree to something from fear, perceived social pressure, and or psychological difficulty in asserting true feelings.  The occurrence of incomprehension may also happen if the person fails to understand the potential consequences.
      Alternate circumstances may change the necessity of informed consent.  Multiple situations can consist of emergencies where the individual is incapacitated or otherwise unable to give consent.  In this instant, it is necessary to give medical treatment to the injured or otherwise incapacitated individual in order to sustain their life, therefor informed consent is not needed.  However, if the individual is not in need of medical treatment, and instead desires treatment, then consent must be implemented.
      The use of Informed consent forms is a widely spread practice to ensure the comfort of both the healthcare provider as well as the patient.  Although at times it may seem rather excessive, it is another necessary precaution of which me must uphold in the medical field.  Enforce this requirement, and make sure that your healthcare facility is practicing safely, soundly, and of course with compliance to local, state, and federal regulations.  Ensure this and much more with the help of MedTrainer.  Contact us today and reserve an appointment for your free online demo at: http://medtrainer.com/