Question

What is the distinction between consent and informed consent? What is the nurse's role with informed consent?

What safeguards can be used to ensure confidentiality when sending medical information by fax or by e-mail?

Answer 1

Question :

What is the distinction between consent and informed consent?

Answer :

There is a difference between general consent and informed consent. General consent is required before the patient can be examined or treated or before minor testing (such as lab work or routine imaging studies) can be done. No explanation of the contact is necessary, but consent to touch the patient is required. But Informed consent is a process of communication between you and your health care provider that often leads to agreement or permission for care, treatment, or services. Evey patient has the right to get information and ask questions before procedures and treatments.

Question : What is the nurse's role with informed consent?

Answer : As nurses, we deal with informed consent a lot—on admission to a hospital/clinic or before a procedure/surgery. Nurses typically are assigned the task of obtaining and witnessing written consent for healthcare treatment. ... The goal of informed consent is to assure patient autonomy.Although it is the doctor's responsibility to obtain consent, the nurse should be present in the room during the explanation. This is to ensure that the patient actually understands what the doctor is saying and that the consent is an informed one.Valid informed consent for research must include three major elements: (1) disclosure of information, (2) competency of the patient (or surrogate) to make a decision, and (3) voluntary nature of the decision. US federal regulations require a full, detailed explanation of the study and its potential risks.

Question : What safeguards can be used to ensure confidentiality when sending medical information by fax or by e-mail?

Answer : Ensure confidential faxes are not left lying around by the recipient. Use pre-programmed fax numbers wherever possible, rather than hand-dialled numbers, to avoid the risk of misdialling a number when sending sensitive information. Send a cover sheet along with the fax, containing a confidentiality statement. organizations can send PHI via email, if it is secure and encrypted. According to the HHS, “the Security Rule does not expressly prohibit the use of email for sending ePHI. Essentially, you can send ePHI via email, but you have to do it securely, on HHS terms. Privacy Rule allows covered health care providers to share protected health information for treatment purposes without patient authorization, as long as they use reasonable safeguards when doing so. These treatment communications may occur orally or in writing, by phone, fax, e-mail, or otherwise.Health information such as diagnoses, treatment information, medical test results, and prescription information are considered protected health information under HIPAA, as are national identification numbers and demographic information such as birth dates, gender, ethnicity, and contact and emergency contact.