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Download medical consent form in Microsoft Word format.
Parental Medical Consent Form: For Acting Fast in an Emergency
Do you regularly fill out a parental medical consent form in instances when your children are staying with relatives or with a babysitter for any length of time? If not, this is truly a task you should consider. A parental medical consent form is absolutely crucial, especially when it will be difficult or impossible to reach a child’s parents during an emergency, and will allow your child to get the proper care he needs in a timely manner. In this article we will discuss this topic in a little more detail, including some tips to ensure the parental medical consent form you fill out includes all the necessary information.
The Parental Medical Consent Form: What You Should Know
As you probably know, doctors, hospitals and emergency caregivers have a lot of rules and restrictions with which they must abide, and one of these restrictions is their inability to offer treatment to a minor child without that child’s parental consent. In most cases, this is typically not a problem, as most children who are sick or injured will be accompanied by their parents when they come in for treatment. However, in rare instances, you or your child may be separated for a time, making it more difficult for doctors and hospitals to receive the required consent. This could be due to things such as vacations, excursions or if your child is away at camp for the summer. In these instances it is absolutely vital that you transfer, or at least share that medical decision making power with the adult who is caring for your child.
Most parental consent forms are fairly simple and straightforward, taking very little time to fill out. On these forms, you will generally list your child’s name and address, along with all of your contact information, followed by the name and address of the child’s caregiver to whom you are giving temporary permission to make medical decisions on your child’s behalf.
Along with this demographic information, you should also provide as many relative details as you can regarding your child’s health, including things like past illnesses, injuries or surgeries, food and medication allergies, and any medication they may currently be taking. Some forms will even ask for the type of medical treatment you are authorizing, which could range from emergency medical care to mental health services. Once this form is signed, it will immediately go into effect, ensuring that your child is medically protected while either you or your child is away.
This very important parental medical consent form is a useful tool to ensure your child receives the medical care he/she needs in an emergency situation, and to guarantee that this form is able to expedite that care, you may want to:
- Attach a copy of your medical aid or insurance card to the parental medical consent form.
- Initial any alterations on the form before signing it at the bottom
- Have two witnesses also sign the form—two adults that are not a party to the agreement itself
- Include emergency numbers where you can be reached
A parental consent form should be a mandatory item whenever you and your child are going to be separated for any significant length of time. Taking this simple precaution before an emergency happens will allow your caregiver to act quickly and let the medical staff expedite any necessary treatments.