What Is Informed Consent? Research Paper Example

Before engaging in therapy, every client has the right to know what will be done to him or her and what duties, responsibilities and functions he or she is expected to have on entering the reciprocal relationships with the therapist. It often appears that patients do not know what will be needed from them in the course of therapy; in addition, the code of medical ethics requires therapists to provide their patients with adequate information about all procedures that will be undertaken. Thus, to understand what an informed consent is, it is necessary to consider its definition given by Berg and Appelbaum (2001):

“informed consent refers to legal rules that prescribe behaviors for physicians and other healthcare professionals in their interactions with patients and provide for penalties…if physicians deviate from those expectations; to an ethical doctrine…and to an interpersonal process whereby these parties interact with each other to select an appropriate course of medical care” (p. 3).

Getting the informed consent from a patient is a very delicate process; the main task of the therapist is to provide an adequate amount of information about the future procedures for the patient to understand the course of future actions, and at the same time not to overwhelm him/her with information that may be excessive and not needed (Corey and Corey, 2007). The informed consent is both a part of legal and medical practice, which influences the way in which the informed consent form is composed. It has to grasp all relevant issues; this is why there is so much disagreement about the contents that have to be included in the informed consent form.

The first issue to be discussed in the informed consent form is the goal of therapeutic relationships which the therapist and the patient enter; this is the introductory piece of information that will enable the patient to understand general assumptions of his/her therapeutic relationships. Secondly, it is important to include the information on the whole range of services that the patient will receive during the therapeutic course; the patient is not certain to receive all of them, but the potential range of services that may be needed should be regarded (Corey and Corey, 2007). The last but not the least portion of essential information in the informed consent should be the list of what the therapist expects from the patient and vice versa. This element will help both parties outline the range of their duties, possibilities and responsibilities and will legitimize all actions that will be taken by any of them in the course of the therapeutic relationship (Corey and Corey, 2007).

Secondly, the therapist has to provide the patient with more detailed, in-depth information about their future relationships in the framework of the discussed therapy the latter is going to undergo. He/she has to be informed about the risks and benefits of helping strategies that are likely to be applied in the therapeutic course, about the peculiarities of the therapist (or the institution that will provide therapeutic services) and about the qualifications of the provider of services (Corey and Corey, 2007). In case there are any relevant financial considerations that the patient has to know before entering therapeutic relationships with the doctor, they should also be included in the informed consent form.

Finally, such terms as the duration of therapy and terms of termination should be discussed before any relationships begin. Limitations to confidentiality are surely a subject of concern for patients as well, so they should be included as a separate element of the list. The patient has to know in advance under what circumstances he or she should feel entitled to consult outside specialists on the issue of correctness and legitimacy of the therapy. Finally, he/she has to be knowledgeable about any possible alternatives to the chosen therapy that should have been suggested by the therapist to the patient before stopping at the final therapeutic decision (Corey and Corey, 2007).

Obviously, it is not the whole range of questions that have to be answered in the informed consent form, and each form differs individually according to the scope of the therapeutic problem, specificity of treatment etc. To understand the general outlook of the informed consent form, one can have a look at the following sample.

Informed Consent Form

“You are invited to participate in the therapy conducted by (the therapist’s name or the title of the institution). You are likely to (enumerate the kinds of therapy you are going to undergo). You were advised the following therapy because (enumerate the possible diagnosis and alternatives offered to the patient regarding the therapy).

If you decide to take part in the therapeutic course of medical action, we (the name of the institution or therapist) will prescribe you the following procedures (enumeration of procedures that the patient is likely to undergo, their duration and frequency, cases in which they may be applied to him/her). We can guarantee the following benefits of the present therapy chosen by you (enumerate the benefits that the present chosen therapy possesses in contrast to those the patient refused from).

Any information obtained about you in the course of the therapy will remain confidential and will never be disclosed to third parties without your permission or as the law requires. You decision about whether to participate or not will not prejudice your future relationships with (name of the therapist or the medical institution offering the therapy to the patient). If you decide to participate, you may be free to withdraw from participation at any moment in the course of the therapy (describe the process of withdrawal and legal procedures of withdrawal in detail). (Include the financial information on the issue, sums of money that the patient is likely to pay for any of the procedures that may be needed in the course of the therapeutic action).

You will be given a copy of the present form to keep.

You are making a decision on whether to participate in (describe the proposed therapy in detail).

References

Berg, J.W., and Appelbaum, P.S. (2001). Informed consent: legal theory and clinical practice. (2^nd ed.). Oxford University Press US.

Corey, M.S., and Corey, G. (2007). Becoming a helper. (5^th ed.). Cengage Learning.