As a provider of professional services, you must obtain consent for all the services you provide and the patient information you use.
What is consent?
- Simply put consent is agreement or granting permission.
- Patients have a right to decide on their own healthcare, this means that you as a provider must obtain consent as it constitutes a fundamental part of respect of these rights.
- You have a professional and legal obligation to obtain patient consent for the treatment and services you offer to that patient.
- You must ensure that you adhere to the laws and good practice requirements for the consent at all times within your business and its day to day functions.
Types of consent:
- Explicit consent is when the patient grants permission for a specific action, treatment or service.
- Implied consent is where the patient provides consent indirectly. The prime example you will experience is the patient using the dispensing essential service. Consent is implied as patient has chosen your pharmacy to dispense their medication but the patient has not expressly consented.
Where there is a concern over implied consent, explicit consent must be obtained. This can be verbal or written depending upon the service they intend to carry out and your Standard Operating Procedures. You will have to apply your own professional judgement in relation to which type of consent you should obtain.
Obtaining consent:
- Where consent is required the consent is only valid when the patient:
- Has the capacity to consent;
- Acting of their own fruition;
- Provided with enough and unbiased information in relation to the services that can make an informed decision;
- Be capable of assessing the information given
- All information provided must be clear, accurate, unbiased and presented in a way that the patient understands the information presented.
- You are responsible for obtaining consent and must use your professional judgement to ensure the patient has been provided with enough information and has digested the literature to be able to make an informed decision.
- Patients may choose to go against the recommended course of action, as a professional you must respect that decision.
- Be aware that consent granted on one occasion does not automatically imply consent for all future actions, depending upon the service provided consent must be granted at each attendance.
- Patients may withdraw their consent at any point.