Informed Consent Research Paper
Informed Consent Dilemmas
HCA 322 Health Care Ethics & Medical Law
The expression Informed Consent came into utilization when healthcare providers needed to convey more information to patients so the word ‘informed’ was combined with the word ‘consent’ so appropriate consent could be given by the participants (Beauchamp, 2011). In this paper, I will focus on theory of informed consent, history of the informed consents, types of consents and the legal and ethical challenges related to informed consents. I will address the current issues, as well as alternate solution that can be applied to improve the informed consent process.
Theory of Informed Consents
The theory of informed consent is that patients have to be informed …show more content…
This is the first dilemma because the information about the treatment or research is provided, and additional time given for the patient to ask questions but the bottom line is to obtain the signature of the patient on the informed consent document, without which the treatment or research cannot be conducted. Erlen states it well “the emphasis is often more on the product rather than the actual process of informed consent” where the signature confirms that the patient and the physician had some conversation (2010, p. 276). Often times the patients want their disease to go away so they may just think, if I sign now and the treatment will begin and it will all be over soon. The contents of the informed consent may be a little overwhelming to a patient who has been diagnosed with a debilitating …show more content…
The length of informed consent has increased by 40% between 2005 and 2011 which resulted in 17 pages from 12 pages (O 'Donnell, 2012). As Erlen states, “too much information can raise a person’s anxiety such that the person does not hear what is being said and automatically refuses to participate” (2010, p.278). In cases where the length of informed consent form has not been increased, additional information sheets have been added to it “with more administrative and legal information than scientific content” (O 'Donnell, 2012). So it is important that the informed consents are informative but short enough to not overwhelm the
HCA 322 Health Care Ethics & Medical Law
The expression Informed Consent came into utilization when healthcare providers needed to convey more information to patients so the word ‘informed’ was combined with the word ‘consent’ so appropriate consent could be given by the participants (Beauchamp, 2011). In this paper, I will focus on theory of informed consent, history of the informed consents, types of consents and the legal and ethical challenges related to informed consents. I will address the current issues, as well as alternate solution that can be applied to improve the informed consent process.
Theory of Informed Consents
The theory of informed consent is that patients have to be informed …show more content…
This is the first dilemma because the information about the treatment or research is provided, and additional time given for the patient to ask questions but the bottom line is to obtain the signature of the patient on the informed consent document, without which the treatment or research cannot be conducted. Erlen states it well “the emphasis is often more on the product rather than the actual process of informed consent” where the signature confirms that the patient and the physician had some conversation (2010, p. 276). Often times the patients want their disease to go away so they may just think, if I sign now and the treatment will begin and it will all be over soon. The contents of the informed consent may be a little overwhelming to a patient who has been diagnosed with a debilitating …show more content…
The length of informed consent has increased by 40% between 2005 and 2011 which resulted in 17 pages from 12 pages (O 'Donnell, 2012). As Erlen states, “too much information can raise a person’s anxiety such that the person does not hear what is being said and automatically refuses to participate” (2010, p.278). In cases where the length of informed consent form has not been increased, additional information sheets have been added to it “with more administrative and legal information than scientific content” (O 'Donnell, 2012). So it is important that the informed consents are informative but short enough to not overwhelm the