This form, available at nursing stations in units and clinics, helps to communicate past and ongoing problems and shows current medications and allergies. The electronic medical record, once it's rolled out, will help us maintain this list. We need to be vigilant in documenting that we have provided patients with the information they need in order to ensure that their consent is, indeed, informed. Certainly, we all know that consent must be obtained for surgical and other invasive procedures. Despite what many of us may have mistakenly believed, patients do not have to sign a consent form in order to receive blood.
Similar rules apply for conscious sedation.
We must document that we have given appropriate information whenever we consciously sedate our patients. Physicians should read the new policy. It is available at nursing stations. In essence, the policy requires us to explain to patients not only the risks and possible complications of conscious sedation, but also the alternatives to using sedation for the procedure. To document that physicians have given informed consent information for invasive procedures, blood transfusions and conscious sedation, a special form has been developed.