Surgery Consent Form
What is a Surgery Consent Form?
A Surgery Consent Form is a document that is used by the doctor to get the informed consent of the patient before performing a surgical procedure. This form is filled out by the patient, and indicates that the patient is well aware of the details of the procedure, the alternative treatments suggested, and the associated risks. This form also includes the signature of the patient indicating that the patient has given their informed consent to the provider to perform surgery.
Why is a Surgery Consent Form important?
A Surgery Consent Form is important for the following reasons:
- To outline the general and specific risks of the treatment/surgical procedure
- To prevent any misunderstandings between the patient and the doctor
- To ensure that both the doctor and the patient are on the same page
- To comply with federal and state laws pertaining to good medical practice
What are the components of a Surgery Consent Form?
A Surgery Consent Form contains the following components:
- The patient has been informed about the nature of the procedure and related details
- The patient is aware of the risks associated with the procedure and the side effects
- The patient was informed about the alternative treatments and the related risks
- The patient has agreed to any follow up procedure that may be required post surgery and is financially capable for the same
- The patient has agreed to receive any additional services that may be required
- The patient is aware of the consequences of the proposed treatment and has made an informed decision
What happens if you don’t get a Surgery Consent Form filled?
Two words: medical malpractice.
In the case of surgical procedure, it is important to get the informed consent of the patients. If you rush the consent process or don’t get the informed consent of the patient; it could lead to a medical malpractice lawsuit. The patient, if not satisfied with the surgical procedure and dealing with any side efects of the procedure could sue you and your team and you could land yourself in big trouble.
Hence, to avoid walking on eggshells, it is important to gather informed consent. It is more like establishing a social relationship with your patient. No matter what the situation is, make sure to have the Surgery Consent Form signed by the patient. This will help improve patient engagement and satisfaction, while also keeping any legal troubles at bay.
Why you should digitize this Surgery Consent form?
Easy Compliance and Data Security: The form is designed to be HIPAA-compliant, with rigorous security mechanisms in place to ensure that you securely contact your patients with end-to-end encryption.
Integration with EHR/EMR: Emitrr automatically syncs the form responses to your health record system, reducing manual data entry. It also makes it easier for you to access the relevant data, resulting in informed decision-making.
Improve Operational Efficiency: Emitrr’s patient engagement solution is simple, user-friendly, and lets your clinical support staff save 3-4 Hrs daily by eliminating the need for manual paperwork, allowing for more efficient workflows.
Cost Savings: By transitioning to digital forms, your organization can significantly cut costs associated with paper, printing, and storage. Additionally, staff employees may better manage their time by focusing on patient care and other value-added duties rather than paperwork.
Enhanced Patient experience: Experience a significant 70% improvement in patient experience by enabling patients to remotely fill the form using any device prior to their appointments, creating a more user-friendly and convenient process.
Enhanced Accuracy: With our digital form, you can be certain of error-free submissions and gain access to precise and reliable patient data.
What are some of the best practices to consider while using the Surgery Consent form?
Some of the things to keep in mind while creating and dealing with a Surgery consent form are:
- Ensure HIPAA-compliance
- Avoid using any complex language or medical jargons
- Ensure that the form is concise, clear and user-friendly
- Track form completion live
- Make sure the form is comprehensive and includes all relevant details like the purpose of surgery, the associated risks, benefits, alternatives etc.
- Obtain the patient’s explicit consent and ensure they are aware of their rights
- Continuously review and update the forms based on patient’s feedback and changes in clinical guidelines
- Integrate the digital form with your healthcare facility’s EHR system to facilitate easy transfer of the data from the assessment form to the patient’s health record
- Ensure that the form is compatible with all types of devices
Summing up
Streamline your processes by switching to digital surgery consent forms. Emitrr’s digital forms are HIPAA-Compliant and can help you automate your administrative tasks. Not only can you schedule the delivery of your forms and automate the follow-ups, but can also integrate those forms with your current EHR/EMR. If you’re still stuck with paper forms, it is time to switch to digital forms and automate your patient intake process.