Informed consent
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| A patient signing a consent form |
Always obtain and document consent from your patient.
Check your local institutional guidelines about informed consent.
Always cover the following when acquiring informed consent:
Explain
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Cause/likelihood of bleeding or the low blood count (including any uncertainty)
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Nature of the proposed transfusion therapy—what is involved
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Benefits expected
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Risks common and rare but serious
- Alternatives including the risk of doing nothing.
Ask
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Is there anything else you would like to know?
- Is there anything you do not understand?
Provide
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Interpreter for non-English speaking patients
- Written information.
