Mark Child Medical Consent Made Easy

Mark child medical consent

this is a patient safety minute brought to you by arms neck an informative overview of patient safety strategies and educational resources available to oral and maxillofacial surgeons and their staff welcome to this segment where we'll explore the unique challenges of informed consent from minor patients with early planning and effective policies your practice can help mitigate risks related to miscommunication between the minor legal guardian and doctor the informed consent process is similar for both minor and adult patients based on a patient's presenting condition diagnosis and the goals of treatment the provider develops and communicates a patient specific treatment plan through this process the patient may evaluate and select from one or more treatment options each with distinct risks benefits and alternatives including no treatment however a minor patient is not legally recognized to possess the capacity to evaluate these factors it's recommended that a medical decision maker participate in the entire informed consent process to execute treatment decisions in the minors best interest here is where knowing your state's applicable laws becomes helpful and managing common informed consent related challenges state laws generally address if and when minors can consent when someone other than a parent can consent for a minor the age of majority for medical and dental decisions and any social status or conditions that may decrease the age of majority because laws vary from state to state it's important that you are familiar with the specific laws that guide the treatment of minors where you practice information can be found through your state's licensing boards and local legal counsel let's review some considerations related to the treatment of minors in more detail as a care provider you'll need to understand the age of majority for your state the age of majority is when a minor is legally considered an adult in most states minor status ends at age 18 however a few states recognize adulthood at other ages can only a parent or legal guardian consent for a minors health care treatment some states permit an adult family member to consent for a minors medical treatment in certain circumstances such as when a parent or legal guardian is unavailable sometimes a change in social status such as a minors preg see Parenthood or military enlistment can impact or lower the age of consent additionally some states permit minors to make their own healthcare decisions for access to specific treatment such as birth control HIV testing STI testing and treatment and mental health counseling court orders may influence or change the age of consent you may encounter a minor patient who is emancipated by court order and is freed from the control of their parents or guardians and the parents or guardians are freed from any and all responsibility toward the minor in these situations a court has determined the minor has demonstrated adult capacity for some decisions including healthcare decisions there are other court orders that may remove a parent or legal guardians right to consent or alter the age at which a minor may consent for themselves for example a child may be identified as a ward of the state in the event of child abuse or parental incarceration when a court order is presented follow these recommended steps to enhance patient safety and reduce risk obtain copies of the order file any orders in the patient chart determine if a legal review of the order is required to determine who may consent for the patient when it comes to the treatment of minors should a parent guardian or designated adult be present for consultation and treatment visits it's recommended that this individual be present for the entire informed consent discussion and remain in the office for the duration of treatment if this is not possible and the treatment is not an emergency consider rescheduling to a time that is convenient for the parent guardian or designated adult develop policies and train your staff on these policies for handling challenging situations related to the treatment of minors communicate this policy to patients and their parents or guardians when the first appointment is scheduled and reinforce any policies during the patient intake process consider including information related to office policies in any new patient paperwork this preparation will assist in limiting the challenges that may arise visit our website for resources related to the treatment of minors remember in most scenarios the informed consent process with a minor patient will not be a challenge however special or unusual circumstances may present from time to time to assist your practice and effectively obtaining informed consent for minor patience be aware of and adhere to your state's applicable laws implement well-defined practice policies on the treatment of minors routinely provide notice to patients of your policies and expectations situations related to the treatment of minors can and do arise and we encourage you to reach out to our patient safety and risk management team with any concerns questions contact our dedicated patient safety and risk management team