As a healthcare provider, your patients’ safety must be at the forefront of your practice. Open patient-physician communication is one way of ensuring that your patients are comfortable and they feel safe. Before administering any medical procedure, you must walk them through the process from start to finish.
For ethical and legal purposes, you need to make patient consent forms a part of your intake process. The form serves as proof that your patients have fully understood all the aspects of the procedure and that they acknowledge the risks involved. This has to be documented in writing, which the concerned individual has to duly sign for the consent to be valid.
This article will guide you through the best ways to obtain patient consent, especially using online forms. Here’s what we will discuss:
Reasons Why Digitizing Patient Consent Forms is Better
Digitizing Patient Consent Forms: Why Switch Now
When paper-based document management was the norm, physicians needed to produce multiple copies of consent forms for each patient. While this system worked, it overwhelmed many healthcare providers with the sheer number of documents they had to manage. There were also concerns over data security and HIPAA compliance.
Nowadays, you can use electronic consent forms instead. Here are some reasons why you should make the switch.
1. Streamlines Document Processes
Obtaining patient consent using digital solutions reduces the inefficiencies that come with manual processing. For one thing, they can conveniently sign documents using their electronic signature. Not only is it fast and easy but using esignatures is safe and legally valid. Patients can sign the form simply by using their phones, tablets, or computers.
2. Cuts Down on Costs
A lot of healthcare practitioners are hesitant to switch to a digital approach, thinking it’s quite an expense. The truth is, it is more expensive to keep on using a paper-based system. With online consent forms, you can reduce your operational expenses. You do not have to spend a considerable amount of money on printing and record keeping.
3. Safeguards Important Data
One of the main issues with a paper-based system is that it puts your patients’ data in such a vulnerable position. It’s so easy for unauthorized parties to access highly sensitive information when they’re printed out and left unsecured. Using digital consent forms ensures that protected health information (PHI) remains secure against cyber threats or breaches.
4. Improves Patient Outcome
Using electronic consent forms also benefits your patients. You can send them the document in advance so they have more than enough time to read through its contents. That way, if they have any further questions about the procedure or treatment, they can clarify them with you.
Key Elements of a Patient Consent Form
All procedures require patient consent. For basic tests like routine blood tests, X-rays, and ultrasound scans, consent is already implied. It is not necessary to have a written consent form signed by the patient.
However, for more invasive procedures like surgery, you need to have proper documentation to show that your patients have consented. In this case, you need to provide a patient consent form that your patient should sign.
There are five key elements to a patient consent form:
- The consent form should state that the patient voluntarily agreed to undergo the procedure and that they were presented with the option to refuse treatment.
- It should explain the nature of the procedure as well as the duration and the corresponding processes to be done.
- The document should list the risks, possible side effects, and any discomfort patients may experience during and after the procedure.
- The benefits of the procedure and the expected outcome should be indicated in the written patient consent form.
- Finally, the consent form should list and explain alternative treatments.
How Can Fill Help With Obtaining Patient Consent?
To get started with digitizing patient consent forms, you need to equip yourself with the right tools. One that’s undoubtedly worth the investment is Fill. It is a feature-rich document-signing platform that allows you to sign documents, create electronic consent forms, and request electronic signatures.
Find out the other ways Fill can help you with your medical practice. Book a demo today.
