Consent - what is it and how is it given?
How is CONSENT defined?
What an important word to investigate in your health journey. Let's dive in!
Consent: permission for something to happen which is communicated freely, reversible, informed, enthusiastic, and specific.
A good way to remember how consent works function is with the acronym FRIES 🍟
Freely
Reversible
Informed
Enthusiastic
Specific
🍟 We must, without fear, be able to give our consent freely. If there is a power dynamic between the person asking for consent and the person being asked to give consent, consent is not freely given.
🍟We can always change our minds and revoke our consent. It's not permanently given.
🍟 Before consenting one must be informed which I'll talk about in a minute.
🍟 If there is any uncertainty then consent is not available.
🍟 Specific relates to what you're actually consenting to, but also can relate to the boundaries surrounding that choice.
INFORMED CONSENT
In order for consent to be truly informed, a doctor must
- educate their patient on the risks and benefits of a procedure
- inform their patient of reasonable alternatives
- educate their patients on the risks and benefits of those alternatives
- assess their patients understanding of the suggested procedure and the reasonable alternatives to the suggested procedure as well as the risks and benefits of each
Now, here's when we look at this breakdown, we can circle back to the F in our FRIES acronym and ask, can consent ever be freely given between doctor and patient?
White coat syndrome is legit, so how can we navigate this when we need or choose a Dr. led approach to our health?
My advice is to educate yourself on what you need to know ASAP. Get out the books, dive into the articles, ask around, seek out multiple opinions, get grounded and go inward.
Want to get pregnant after years of birth control? Get those research goggles on! Thennnnnn you can approach your doctor from an informed place of YOUR choosing including treatment options!
A Dr appointment is simply another step in your data collection informed decision making journey.
Remember, unless you're in a true emergency, you have time to step away and think on it!
