Informed Consent … Before You Sign
Before you have any treatment or surgical procedure, your doctor or hospital will ask you to sign an informed consent form. This is your opportunity to ensure that you understand the treatment. The attorneys at the Patton Law Practice urge you to read the form carefully and ask any questions before you sign.
Make sure you are informed before you consent.
Be an informed and empowered patient.
Medicine often seems complicated — too complicated for the average person to understand. Your health care professionals are responsible for making sure you understand the choices you have.
- Do you understand the procedure? What exactly will the doctor do? What are the possible complications and risks? Has the doctor done this procedure before?
- Are there alternatives? Is this procedure medically necessary? What alternatives are available?
- Never hesitate to ask a question. The more at ease you are with your decision to have surgery or take a certain drug, the better the outcome will be. Tension and stress add to medical problems. Get the answers you need and stay calm.
- Are the drugs that you will be prescribed safe? Check for contraindications with other drugs you may be taking (including non-prescription drugs). Read about the drug on the Food and Drug Administration Web site. A helpful non-governmental site is drugs.com. On either site, put the name of the drug in the search bar and take the time to read about it.
If you can't get the answers you need, talk to a lawyer who understands the health care system. We welcome questions from concerned patients and families in Arizona and throughout the United States. Call the Patton Law Practice at 1-888-905-9208.
