With the development of medical sciences, mortality and morbidity related to medical treatment and management has reduced. Further effort to reduce this further is an ongoing process (Subhash, 2005). Unforeseen and expected complications and even death do occur during the treatment process and many a time this is not accepted by patients or their relatives. This results in many court cases or unpleasant situations, it is for these reasons that Informed consent needs to be obtained for any invasive procedure
This essay will focus on informed consent, and whether or not it is an abstract concept in health today. For informative purposes, Information will include definition of the topic and both the negative and positive attributes pertaining to the topic. This will be very informative and incorporate legal and ethical supportive evidence.
Informed consent is a procedure to ensure that a patient or client knows all of the procedures, risks and costs involved in a treatment. Informed consent includes informing the client of the nature of the treatment, possible alternative treatments, and the potential risks and benefits of the treatment (Cherry, 2010).
There is also a legal angle to this concept. No one has the right to even touch, let alone treat another person. Any such act, done without permission, is classified as "battery" (Trehan SP, 2002) - physical assault and is punishable. Hence, obtaining consent is a must for anything other than a routine physical examination. abstract.
Abstract
Bibliography: Allison, S. (2010, July 1). APPLY LEGAL AND ETHICAL PARAMETERS IN NURSING PRACTICE. HLTEN509A . Seymour, Victoria, Australia: GOTAFE. Blackwell, C. (2006). Professional and Ethical Responsibilities. College of Health & Public Affairs. Legal services commision. (2003, August 6). PATIENTS ' RIGHTS. Retrieved November 8, 2010, from LAW HAND BOOK: http://www.lawhandbook.sa.gov.au/ch28s01.php Rita funnell, G. K. (2009). Tabbners. In G. K. Rita funnell, & Elsevier (Ed.), Nursing Care (5th ed., pp. 228-236). Chatswood, NSW, Australia: Luisa Cecotti. Trehan SP, S. D. (2002). Patients and the Law. In The institute of law and ethics in medicine (pp. 57-68). Bangalore: National Law school of india university.