What You Need to Know About Informed Consent
Informed consent is a process that’s required for most medical procedures. However, there’s often confusion about what informed consent is, what it means, and when it’s needed. Informed ConsentIn a healthcare setting, informed consent allows you to participate in your own medical care. It enables you to decide which treatments you do or do not want to receive. Also, informed consent allows you to make decisions with your healthcare provider. This collaborative decision-making process is an ethical and legal obligation of healthcare providers.
There are 4 principles of informed consent:
- You must have the capacity (or ability) to make the decision.
- The medical provider must disclose information on the treatment, test, or procedure in question, including the expected benefits and risks, and the likelihood (or probability) that the benefits and risks will occur.
- You must comprehend the relevant information.
- You must voluntarily grant consent, without coercion or duress.
Before the procedure, you’ll have to complete and sign a consent form. This form is a legal document that shows your participation in the decision and your agreement to have the procedure done.
When you sign the form, it means:
- You received all the relevant information about your procedure from your healthcare provider.
- You understand this information.
- You used this information to determine whether or not you want the procedure.
- You agree, or consent, to get some or all of the treatment options
Implied consent is a type of informed consent. This consent is suggested, or implied, by the patient’s actions. It isn’t explicitly stated or written down. For example, if you have a fever and see a healthcare provider, your visit implies that you want treatment. Another example is if you break an ankle and visit a healthcare provider for crutches. Compared to informed consent, implied consent is less formal. It doesn’t need to be legally recorded.
In an emergency, your provider may look for your closest blood relatives for consent. But if your relatives aren’t available, or if you’re in a life-threatening situation, a healthcare provider can perform the necessary life-saving procedures without consent.
