By MUREREREHE Julienne BDT(Hons) KHI.

 Informed consent is a legal document, prepared as an agreement for treatment, non-treatment, or for an invasive procedure that requires Dentists to disclose the benefits, risks, and alternatives to the treatment, non-treatment, or procedure.  Informed consent, in a health care setting, is the procedure whereby patients (clients) consent to, or refuse, an intervention based on information provided by a health care Professional regarding the Nature and potential risks (consequence and likelihood) of the Proposed intervention.

It is the method by which a fully informed, rational patient may be involved in the choices about his or her health. ◦ An informed patient is defined as one who has:  Knowledge of nature and or extent of harm or risk of procedure  appreciated and understood the harm or risk  consented to the harm and assumed risk  The consent covers the procedure, its consequence and complications.  Consent ideally must be written informed consent

There are three basic types of consent forms: the medical and dental consent form, parental consent form, form and the employment consent form. 1. A medical and dental patient consent form to acknowledge that he/she is aware of the risks of a particular medical procedure and gives his consent for the treatment, to release records, to include information about him in a publication.

2. A parental consent form gives the parent the responsibility of granting consent on behalf of the minor child before any procedure takes place 3. Employment consent forms are basically authorizations for a potential employer to check a job applicant's background. They are designed to ensure the applicant's background is free of any legal issues

 First, verbally if the patient can understand, the therapist must convey the details of a treatment or procedure, its potential benefits and serious risks, and any feasible alternatives.  Second the practitioner must evaluate whether or not the person has understood what has been said, must ascertain that the risks have been accepted, and that the patient is giving consent to proceed with the treatment with full knowledge and forethought.  Finally, the patient must sign the consent form, which documents in generic format the major points of consideration. The only exception to this is securing informed consent during extreme emergencies.  According to the Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct designed by the American Psychological Association, informed consent also applies when conducting research involving human subjects prior to their participation This process should be wholly voluntary and has not forced in any way.

 Protect the provider and the hospital/clinic. The form will generally release the hospital or individual practitioner from liability should any adverse effects from the treatment occurliability  Legally, it is proof that things have been covered and the patient agrees to the procedure, risks, benefits, options, etc.  The informed consent process is in place also for the protection of the patient. The process is in place to ensure that everything is discussed with the patient: all of the options, all of the common risks, the worst case scenario, and other similar situations and its done as agreed.

 Empowers the patient to understand that he/she plays an important role in their own treatment.  They are encouraged to be active participants in the treatment process and know their options well enough to make the best treatment decisions for themselves.  It also shifts the responsibility to patients to work with the therapist towards their Oral health goals, possibly increasing self-confidence and autonomy, and decreasing dependence on the therapist.

 This could hurt the therapeutic relationship between the client and therapist. For example, if an informed consent is too detailed, it could frighten a new client who may be hesitant about therapy to begin with. In addition,  informing patients about the risks of treatment might scare them into refusing it when the risks of non- treatment are even greater. However, advantages to the informed consent process are greater than disadvantages.

 All adults(16 years and above) and conscious patients  If the patient is a minor, a parent or legal guardian can sign the paperwork on behalf of the child.  If a patient is in an emergency or mentally handicapped a member of family can sign on his/her behalf

There are undoubtedly many issues regarding Informed Consent. As modern society continues to be litigious(MEDICAL CHARTER), the courts and/or government may take on a more active role in deciding the extent to which patients must be informed of treatments, procedures, and clinical trials in which they voluntarily become enrolled. Therefore, health care providers must become more educated( RWANDA MEDICAL CHARTER, PATIENTS RIGHTS) as to what needs to be conveyed to patients, and to what extent.

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