Categories of Consent in Healthcare

In healthcare, consent means to give permission or agree to a procedure, surgery, visit, or something else in a healthcare setting. However, consent is much more nuanced than simple permission; there are types of consent as well as details to the basic idea of consent that need to be kept in mind.

One thing about consent that must be understood before we continue is that it is not permanent. In healthcare, consent to any healthcare procedure can be taken away at any time; doctors and hospitals must be able to adjust accordingly. In addition, forced consent is a large gray area in medicine. Generally, consent must be voluntary, but in some life-or-death scenarios, healthcare providers or Good Samaritans may violate the idea of voluntary consent.

1. Informed Consent

   Informed consent in healthcare would be when a patient has been informed on all aspects of a healthcare procedure and chooses to continue. Most importantly, informed consent always includes all information possible and patients give voluntary consent.

2. Explicit Consent

   This consent in medicine would be seen through agreements, signing of approval to a procedure, or other explicit guarantees that the patient agrees to what the healthcare provider will be doing for them. Explicit content in and of itself includes verbal and written consent. Verbal consent would be the patient telling the doctor that they agree through a conversation, while written consent would be formal and on a document.

3. Implied Consent

   Implied consent can also be a moral gray area both in medicine and the outside world. It is often given through a patient's actions. An example could be a person extending their arm to let a nurse know they consent to a routine vaccination. Where implied consent can be a moral gray area is when physicians and other healthcare providers misinterpret the patient's actions and claim implied consent.

4. Active and Passive Consent

   Active and passive consent is quite simple; active consent involves saying yes, clicking a box, or some other form of agreeing to a health procedure. Passive consent is a type of implied consent where consent is assumed unless otherwise declined by the patient. In a healthcare setting, active consent is typically used to guarantee the consent of the patient.

5. Other Types

   Other types of consent such as granular and opt-out are much more specific to data collection and privacy practices usually used online instead of in a healthcare setting. They involve adjusting the levels of consent for the viewer of an area such as a website.

Thank you for reading, and drop any thoughts down in the comments below!