Biomaterial Database

Legal responsibilities: consent in emergency treatment. 2008

John Whitcher

Accident and Emergency Department, Royal Gwent Hospital. Jbwhitch@aol.com

The issue of consent is complex but fundamental to the provision of medical care. Most patients who attend an emergency department will be able to make their own decisions regarding the care they receive. Patients who are seriously injured or have reduced or absent capacity may have to rely on healthcare professionals to make decisions on their behalf. Healthcare professionals must ensure that they act as patient advocates and that medical care and treatment are carried out in patients' best interests. This article addresses issues relating to consent in emergency departments.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007258	Informed Consent	Voluntary authorization, by a patient or research subject, with full comprehension of the risks involved, for diagnostic or investigative procedures, and for medical and surgical treatment.	Consent, Informed
D009723	Nurse-Patient Relations	Interaction between the patient and nurse.	Nurse Patient Relations,Nurse Patient Relationship,Nurse Patient Relationships,Nurse-Patient Relation,Patient Relations, Nurse,Patient Relationship, Nurse,Patient Relationships, Nurse,Relations, Nurse Patient,Relations, Nurse-Patient,Relationship, Nurse Patient,Relationships, Nurse Patient
D004638	Emergency Treatment	First aid or other immediate intervention for accidents or medical conditions requiring immediate care and treatment before definitive medical and surgical management can be procured.	Emergency Therapy,Therapy, Emergency,Emergency Therapies,Emergency Treatments,Therapies, Emergency,Treatment, Emergency,Treatments, Emergency
D006113	United Kingdom	Country in northwestern Europe including Great Britain and the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland, located between the North Sea and north Atlantic Ocean. The capital is London.	Great Britain,Isle of Man
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D026706	Paternalism	Interference with the FREEDOM or PERSONAL AUTONOMY of another person, with justifications referring to the promotion of the person's good or the prevention of harm to the person. (from Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy, 1995); more generally, not allowing a person to make decisions on his or her own behalf.
D028701	Patient Rights	Fundamental claims of patients, as expressed in statutes, declarations, or generally accepted moral principles. (Bioethics Thesaurus) The term is used for discussions of patient rights as a group of many rights, as in a hospital's posting of a list of patient rights.	Right to Treatment,Patient's Rights,Patients' Rights,Patient Right,Patient's Right,Patients Rights,Patients' Right,Right to Treatments,Right, Patient,Right, Patient's,Right, Patients',Rights, Patient,Rights, Patient's,Rights, Patients',Treatment, Right to,Treatments, Right to