Informed consent, in layperson terms, is telling the patient what is about to go

Informed consent, in layperson terms, is telling the patient what is about to go down before it goes down. Informed consent is needed due to the long history of providers not involving the patients in all aspects of treatment. Informed consent gives the provider and the patient a clear understanding of their expectations regarding outcomes and findings during medical treatment. American Psychological Association (APA) sets clear guidelines for the ethical delivery of care, and informed consent is number three-ish on its list of critical ethical issues in human relations. According to APA (2010,2017), consent as 3.10 Informed Consent “When psychologists conduct research or provide assessment, therapy, counseling, or consulting services in person or via electronic transmission or other forms of communication, they obtain the informed consent of the individual or individuals using language that is reasonably understandable to that person or persons except when conducting such activities without consent is mandated by law or governmental regulation or as otherwise provided in this Ethics Code.” Although informed consent as a legal document is paramount, the patient must understand what is happening. If the patient is minor or incapable of deciding on their own, they must have a legal guardian to consent.
Confidentiality and consent go hand in hand. During the consent process, the patient must be notified of all the possible issues that may come up during their session; they must understand that they will be diagnosed not for treatment purposes, but the MCO must have a this to get paid. Confidentiality protects the patient’s medical history from being shared with unauthorized agents without consent. However, these confidentiality rules have their limitations; only when the information is needed in court or to save a life can it be broken. A case was mention where confidentiality and informed consent worked against a patient. A patient’s diagnosis was used in court against her for a child custody proceeding; according to Kress, Hoffman, Adamson, & Eriksen (2013), it is up to the therapist to inform the patient of certain confidentiality restrictions, so the patient is fully informed of what to expect.
Reference
Kress, V. E., Hoffman, R. M., Adamson, N., & Eriksen, K. (2013). Informed consent, confidentiality, and diagnosing: ethical guidelines for counselor practice. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 35(1), 15+. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A315221565/AONE?u=anon~8cba438d&sid=googleScholar&xid=0acd1524
American Psychological Association. (2017). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct (2002, amended effective June 1, 2010, and January 1, 2017). http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.html