The influence of the European and Polish acts of law, regulations and standards on the forms and the contents of the informed consent for oncological treatments

Abstract

Aim

The aim of this work was to analyze the influence of the European and the Polish acts of law, the principals of The Polish, Physician's Code of Ethics, and the standards of The Accreditation Program for Hospitals on the forms and contents of the informed consent for oncological treatments given by the patients in The Great Poland Cancer Centre.

Materials/Methods

The Polish acts of law, The European Convention on Bioethics, the guidelines of The Polish, Physician's Code of Ethics and the standards of The Accreditation Program for Hospitals were compared in terms of their similarities and compatibility referring to the informed consent. Subsequently based on the related contents of the above documents, the informed consent forms for the oncological treatments were designed.

Results

As a result the following examples of informed consent forms for oncological diagnostics and treatments were designed: a) informed consent form for diagnostics examination with contrast medium, b) informed consent form for radiotherapy, c) informed consent form for surgery.

Discussion

It is undeniable that the consent of the patient is a prerequisite to any medical treatments. The individual must be informed and understand the treatment that he or she will undergo. The patient has to know the advantages (benefits) and disadvantages (risks, potential complications) of the proposed medical intervention. When obtaining the consent the patient should be informed of details of diagnosis and prognosis with or without the proposed medical intervention and the uncertainties and questions should be explained and answered. Therefore the informed consent forms used in The Great Poland Cancer Centre are not only documents proving that the patient agreed to perform the treatment but also tools that allow the patient to comprehend the purpose, benefits and risks of the proposed medical intervention and to participate in the decision making process.