There are different legal aspects that can affect consent such as living wills, advance medical directives and surrogate decision making. The complexities …show more content…
These responsibilities occur in clinical research, private practice and smaller clinics. These facilities share equal responsibilities in regards to respecting the wishes of patients and ensuring consent is received legally and ethically.
There are many documents that can either reinforce consent for treatment or prevent it all together. At times, decisions regarding medical care are made outside of the hospital within the one’s family or home and are legally binding. These types of advances medical directives allow the patient to make medical decisions prior to treatment and relay their wishes if they are otherwise incapacitated. Different states have their own laws regarding advanced medical directives. Living wills are legal documents that allow a person who cannot participate in the decision-making process, due to incapacitation, the power to say what they would want done, when they were in a ability to do so. “Living wills allow persons to specify what is done for and to them and to