When a patient is about to receive a service from a regulated member, it is crucial that they understand and agree to that service. That’s why ACP built specific standards about informed consent into the new Standards of Practice for Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians (SPPPT), which will take effect February 1, 2025.
What has changed?
While the concept of informed consent is not new, Domain 1 (Person-centred care) of the new SPPPT includes a standard dedicated to informed consent to better support regulated members in achieving the requirements of informed consent. Standard 1.9 covers how regulated members can ensure they obtain informed consent prior to providing professional services. These expectations should be met before any professional service is provided by a regulated member.
As defined in the new SPPPT, “Informed consent means a regulated member’s duty to provide a patient with enough information for the patient to make a voluntary informed decision about their care.” However, there are many complex situations that regulated members must navigate to ensure that informed consent is achieved than what can be explained in a one-sentence definition. Appendix A of the new standards explains more about a regulated member’s responsibility to assess whether a patient is able to provide informed consent and, if not, who may provide it. In this appendix, you will find information about who has the authority to provide informed consent (adult patients, patient agents, and mature minors) and who is unable to provide informed consent (adults lacking capacity and non-mature minors).
Key takeaways
What’s important to remember about Standard 1.9 is that a regulated member must be satisfied a patient has provided informed consent prior to providing professional services. This means that the regulated member must feel confident that the patient both understands and agrees to the services which are about to be provided. This makes the patient a willing and informed partner in their care.
Also key is that regulated members must respect a patient’s decision to refuse professional services, withdraw consent at any time, or seek alternative care.
Ultimately, obtaining informed consent is a process for regulated members to ensure that patients demonstrate a reasonable understanding of the information provided and the reasonably foreseeable consequences of consenting to or refusing a professional service.
