Informed and Competent Consent

Informed Consent
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Informed Consent
Informed consent should be voluntary in that it is given through one’s free will. A patient or client should have the power of choice without any interference. Nelson et al. (2011) claim that consent being voluntary means a patient’s ability to choose without coercion, deceit, threat, or other ulterior motives. Ensuring that consent is voluntary promotes the autonomy of the patient as an important aspect of patient care.
Consent should also be competent. Competent means that the patient is of sound mind when giving consent. Paterick et al. (2008) note that a patient must not be cognitively impaired when providing consent. The patient’s cognition must not be diminished by medication, personal or emotional stress, or any form of external pressure such as family or physicians. For instance...