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Consent And Its Types And Legal Fundaments

Decent Essays

This essay will introduce the concept of consent, briefly identify its types and legal fundaments, look at significance of consent in a healthcare provision and illustrate the main issues involved with patients’ consent with midwifery practice as the focal point of interest. According to Medical Dictionary (2003) ‘consent’ is an ‘act of reason’, voluntary agreement to proposed treatment made by a mentally capable person upon receiving relevant information. Patients’ consent is closely associated with individuals’ liberty, person’s autonomy and the right to decide about themselves and their body with assumption of taking full responsibility for decision and its consequences (Frith and Draper, 2004). Department of Health (2009) precisely defines types of consent: written, verbal and expressed non-verbally. The validity of consent does not rely upon the type; however, written consent may serve as evidence. For the validity of patient’s consent is essential to determine person’s ability to make a decision, give enough information and clarify if the information given is clearly understood. Consent is valid only when given ‘freely, without pressure or undue influence being exerted (…) from partners or family members, as well as health or care practitioners’ (Department of Health, 2009 p.11). There is no specific law covering consent issue; however, it is underpinned by different Acts and rules such as ‘The Code. Professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses

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