Canadian Health Information Management Association Practice Exam

Which statement about consent to treatment is incorrect?

1. Consent must be documented on a standard form.

2. Implied consent can sometimes be valid.

3. Treatment may legitimately occur in the absence of consent.

4. Valid consent requires advising the person of all risks.

The correct answer is: Consent must be documented on a standard form.

The statement regarding the necessity of documenting consent on a standard form is often considered incorrect because it is not a universal requirement across all healthcare settings. While documentation of consent is important for legal and ethical reasons, it does not always have to be on a standard form. In many cases, verbal consent may be sufficient, particularly in situations where the treatment is low-risk or customary procedures are being performed. In contrast, implied consent can indeed be valid in certain circumstances, particularly in emergency situations, such as when a patient is unable to provide explicit consent. The statement that treatment may legitimately occur in the absence of consent also recognizes important exceptions, such as public health interventions or emergencies. Lastly, valid consent does require that individuals be informed of significant risks as part of the process to make an informed decision about their treatment options. Thus, the nuances around how consent is obtained and documented demonstrate that a standardized-form requirement is not applicable in every scenario.