Obtaining informed consent is a crucial task of providers in all healthcare fields, whether it be medical care or psychotherapy. Essentially, it is the clear communication between the provider and patient regarding patient care. Informed consent ensures that patients understand their rights and how a clinical trial or treatment may impact their lives. It also protects the provider through documentation of agreed upon services.
This source presents a helpful model for helping patients with informed consent. They begin by highlighting the importance of explaining all relevant information regarding treatment. It is important to consider other factors, such as a patient’s reading level and primary language spoken, and to accommodate these needs. Providers may also want to help patients prioritize goals of care with their other life goals.
Another way providers can assist patients in making decisions about their care is to involve patients in decisions about treatment and check for understanding. Some ideas to check for understanding include, having additional professional staff communicate proposed treatments, providing fact sheets that can be taken home, or asking patients to repeat what they hear, also called the “teach back” method.
Creating time and space for patients to ask questions also seems to be highly beneficial. This way, providers can repeat explanations if needed or discuss decisions more thoroughly. This is also a time when providers demonstrate a sensitivity towards patient preferences and decision-making styles.
https://www.templehealth.org/ICTOOLKIT/html/ictoolkitpage20.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3307558/
Obtaining informed consent is a crucial task of providers in all healthcare fields, whether it be medical care or psychotherapy. Informed consent ensures that patients understand their rights and how a clinical trial, treatment, or service may impact their lives. There are many ways a provider can assist a patient in giving informed consent, but clear communication is of utmost importance. Providers need to provide clear communication about the treatments or services being offered, the potential risks, and other alternatives.
First of all, providers must make sure patients have all of the required information regarding their care. This often means breaking information down into language a patient or client will understand and avoiding the use of clinical jargon as much as possible. If a patient does not understand the information being presented to them, it is impossible for them to give informed consent. Often, patients may be too embarrassed to ask for clarification. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the provider to empower patients through clear communication.
Secondly, patients need to understand the risks of undergoing a proposed treatment. Patients should most definitely be informed about the potential benefits of a treatment. After all, providers recommend a treatment modality based on its likelihood to correct a patient’s ailments. However, it is vital that patients understand both the best and worst possible outcomes in order to make an informed decision.
After a patient understands their treatment and the risks involved, they should be given the opportunity to evaluate this in comparison with other alternative modalities. For some patients, the risks involved in one treatment may not be worrisome, whereas these same risks may lead other patients to choose an alternative treatment. If patients clearly understand the risks and benefits of a proposed treatment, as well as other options available to them, they can truly make an informed decision about their care.
Further Reading:
http://societyforpsychotherapy.org/informed-consent-in-clinical-practice-the-basics-and-beyond/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3307558/
Usually, informed consent protects the participants of a clinical trial. Informed consent is also crucial when a patient is slated to undergo a risky medical procedure. In the healthcare industry, medical professionals must ensure that patients are given the pertinent information so that they can make informed decisions about their care.
So, how can healthcare workers assist clients in making informed decisions? First, the approach to informed consent is important. Healthcare workers must demonstrate that such a process involves a collaboration between the pertinent parties: the patient and the attending professional. Workers can use what is called the "teach-back" or "show me" approach. I provide a link below describing what this approach entails.
The teach-back method is invaluable in that it provides information about the patient's care in accessible "chunks." With "chunk-and-check," the attending medical professional can uncover misconceptions or misunderstandings before the end of the visit.
Healthcare workers can also use forms that are easy to understand. For example, these forms can be written at a fifth-grade reading level and include pictures to explain difficult terms.
Another way workers can assist clients in making informed decisions is to address patient concerns before discussing the specifics of the treatment. This is another good link explaining some effective ways for healthcare professionals to assist patients in giving informed consent.
https://www.ahrq.gov/health-literacy/quality-resources/tools/literacy-toolkit/healthlittoolkit2-tool5.html
https://www.mdedge.com/familymedicine/article/63975/practice-management/8-ways-improve-informed-consent-process
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