Risks of Informed Consent

The risks associated with informed consent centers on each aspect of an informed consent document detailing the components of treatment given a patient. This document contains the therapeutic process, caregiver information, costs and length of treatment, caregiver consulting with colleagues, interruptions in treatment, benefits and risks of treatment and alternative forms of treatment. These risks go from the patient not understanding all aspects of a treatment to a patient just not desiring a certain caregiver.

Risks in the Therapeutic Process

• Revealing the therapeutic process can cause pain and anxiety in clients seeking treatment. Ideas and experiences explored in their lives can cause client stress and trepidation. Another risk associated with addressing the therapeutic process is clients not wanting to participate in every aspect of the treatment needed for full healing. Some clients may back away from some parts of the treatment when told the total plan in which they and the caregiver will engage.

Risks in Divulging Caregiver Background Information

• The background of a caregiver may cause clients to have unrealistic expectations in treatment. They may feel a caregiver is so qualified that expectations for recovery become too lofty and grandiose, placing more responsibility on the caregiver to make them better and less on themselves to get better with the caregiver's help. Also, the caregiver may have personal beliefs that conflict with a client's and that could cause significant emotional discomfort in treatment.

Risks Associated with the Costs and Length of Treatment

• Costs remain a significant issue when it comes to treatment. Clients must know every aspect of the cost cycle -- how much is treatment and who pays. Some services are not covered by certain health plans and this could cause clients to retreat from needed treatment simply because of costs. Divulging the length of treatment is risky because this information could scare a client into believing that treatment time is either too long or too short.

Risks of Caregiver Consulting with Colleagues

• Caregivers may be consulting with colleagues and supervisors about their cases. This could cause anxiety in patients who may feel uneasy about information becoming available to those who are not their caregiver. Many clients feel a kinship with a designated caregiver in treatment. Clients may be hesitant in emptying the contents of their hearts if they know what they reveal will travel from their primary and designated caregiver's ears to an unfamiliar source.

Risks of Interruptions in Therapy

• Some interruptions in therapy outlined in informed consent include what happens in the event of a caregiver's absence. This interruption of service may appear as abandonment by the caregiver, yet, they may be as harmless as vacation time or the caregiver taking a sabbatical to take classes. The client knowing these facts may feel that the caregiver may not be diligent in keeping appointments with the client, causing further damage in the therapeutic process.

Risks of Explaining Risks and Benefits of Treatment

• The benefits and risks associated with the type of help clients receive should be given to them before treatment begins. When given the benefits and risks of treatment, some clients respond by feeling a little more helpless than they are in actuality. They may feel that it's up to the caregiver to cure them and not up to them to play a role in their getting better. Clients must know their level of responsibility in the treatment.

Risks of Giving Clients Alternative Forms of Treatment

• Caregivers telling potential clients about alternative forms of treatment may lead the client to choose help that doesn't involve therapy. This may produce some financial anxiety in caregivers in that they take a financial hit for every client who turns down their services for another caregiver or another form of treatment. Though risky, it's still a good practice to let clients know that there are other forms of treatment at their disposal.