Informed Consent Case Study

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Informed consent is a requirement for all medical procedures and investigations and is considered imperative in modern medicine. This assignment examines the professional, legal and ethical frameworks that influence consent for the autonomous patient, those that lack capacity and for children by looking at the principles underlying consent. It will explore the legal exceptions to the right of consent in the United Kingdom concerning minors, incapacitated patients, and patients suffering from mental illness. Furthermore, it will explain the concept of advanced directives and lasting powers of attorneys. Oxford Dictionaries (2015) defines consent as “permission for something to happen or agreement to do something”. This definition does not require understanding of the action agreed to, so for medical purposes, ”informed consent” was developed meaning “permission granted in the knowledge…show more content…
This sort of consent is seen acceptable for routine or minor investigations but if the treatment is complex or includes significant risk then written consent is required by law (GMC, 2015). Giving certain medical treatments without valid informed consent is a criminal offence and the healthcare professional can be charged with battery. The individual professional could also put their registration at risk with their regulatory body, i.e. the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) for ODP’s. As stated in the HCPC Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics (2012), one of the required duties to remain on the register is to get informed consent before providing care or services. Failing to meet this duty could include giving treatment against the patient’s will, providing different treatment than the one consented for or giving treatment after consent when deliberately wrong information was given to the patient (BJMP,
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