Generic consent forms
The generic patient consent templates (below) have been developed for use in the most commonly occurring situations to support the documentation of consent:
Explicit consent
Where a health professional proposes a higher risk and / or more complex treatment to a patient, the health professional must seek the patient’s explicit consent (also known as express consent) to that treatment before providing it. The health professional must provide relevant information to the patient, including details of the benefits and risks specific to that patient.
Communications relevant to explicit consent may be verbal and / or written. In either case it is imperative that relevant details of the consent communication be recorded in the patient’s medical record, including the patient’s decision to refuse or consent to treatment.
Explicit consent must be obtained and recorded in writing before proceeding with any of the following treatments (other than in an emergency) requiring general, spinal, epidural or regional anaesthesia and intravenous sedation:
- Surgical
- Obstetric
- Oncology
- Mental health
- Endoscopy
- Medical
- Radiology
- Dental
Explicit surgical consent does not imply anaesthetic consent. Anaesthetic consent must also be obtained and recorded in writing.
See the Consent to Treatment Policy for more details.
More information
Patient Safety and Clinical Quality
Email: eopp@health.wa.gov.au
Last reviewed: 12-12-2022
Produced by
Patient Safety and Clinical Quality