Informed consent
» Consent form templates
» Procedure specific information resources (access to Department of Health intranet required)
» Frequently asked questions
Policy
- Consent to Treatment Policy for the WA Health System (PDF 792KB)
- Consent to Treatment Policy for the Western Australian Health System OD 0324/11 (Operational Directive)
What is informed consent?
Informed consent refers to the process of obtaining a patient’s consent for a health practitioner to provide treatment. The informed consent process involves a number of steps including:
- Discussion about the patient’s clinical condition and treatment options available
- Discussion about the pros and cons of each alternative treatment option
- Obtaining patient consent for a specific treatment option and disclosing any material risks of the treatment option
- Recording and documenting patient's consent and any relevant discussion
The components of the informed consent process are discussed in further detail in the Consent to Treatment Policy for the Western Australian Health System.
Resources
- Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists – Guidelines on Consent for Anaesthesia or Sedation (PDF 144KB)
- Mitec Medical Publishing - Orders for College Patient Education Pamphlets (external website)
- Queensland Health - Informed Consent for Surgery Website (external website)
These resources are not developed by the Department of Health. Safety and Quality in Healthcare in no way endorses, recommends or guarantees the efficacy of the resources on this website. It is the responsibility of health services and health service staff to use the resources as a guide only.
File Formats
Some documents for download on this website are in a Portable Document Format (PDF). To read these files you might need to download Adobe® Acrobat Reader.