FREE 3+ Against Medical Advice Forms in PDF

Hospitals and clinics are places where people are treated as well as taken cared of for them to heal from their illnesses, diseases, and any other conditions. However, there are instances when treatments, medical procedures, and the suggestions of a doctor are merely options for a patient which is why a document is created for patients to leave and not adhere to the suggestions or advice known as an against medical advice form.

Against Medical Advice Form Sample

What Is an Against Medical Advice Form?

An against medical advice form is a document which is readily-made available in hospitals or healthcare centers for patients who will be leaving or be discharging themselves from the care of the institution regardless of the advice or doctor’s notes and recommendations for his well-being. The form serves as a tool that informs the medical institution about the patient’s intents in not adhering to the doctor and in executing his rights to leave the premises on his own will. Although the reason why people head to the hospital is to get cured for the diseases and illnesses they have, there are those who are either inpatient for the treatment or could not take the responsibilities of meeting the requirements of the medical institution resulting to an option to leave or request for a discharge.

Against Medical Advice Informed Refusal Form

Who Are Required to Fill Out an Against Medical Advice Form?

There are three parties who are needed to complete an against medical advice form and they are listed below:

• The declining patient – The patient who does not favor the advice and the suggestions of the physician can use and file the against medical advice form. He should be able to inform the authorities of the medical institution before he flies away from the premises to leave in order to ensure that his leave will be sufficiently recorded and updated in the reports of the institution.

• The patient’s physician – The physician or the medical practitioner who handled the patient during his arrival and who supplied prescriptions as well as have suggested surgeries or medical procedures to the patient will have to affix his signature on the against medical advice form fulfilled by the patient. The purpose of having the name and the signature of the physician is to assure that the patient’s leave and choice were properly informed to the physician and that the patient was supplied with other possible alternatives to cater his medical conditions and needs.

• A witness – Along with the physician, a witness who is present in the premises when the patient decided to file the against medical advice form is also required to sign the form. The main role of the witness is to serve as the party who will be the proof that the patient used and completed the against medical advice form on his own will and that the physician was able to provide ample medical information and details to the patient with regards to his condition such as the level of urgency for the patient to be treated and the treatments and medication that the patient can take.

Refusal of Treatment Against Medical Advice Form

Varieties of Against Medical Advice Forms

There are different varieties of against medical advice forms and these documents differ on the main intent of the patient to be stated in the form as well as the format and arrangement of the fields or sections in the form. One variety is the self-discharge against medical advice form which is essential for patients who wants to discharge themselves from the medical institution and from any services that the medical staff will be providing to them. The form must be completed by both the patient and the doctor administering the patient’s medical needs. Moreover, this form must also be duplicated to provide a copy for the medical institution, the patient, and the doctor individually.

Another variety is a refusal of treatment against medical advice form. Compared to the aforementioned variety, this document is only intended for patients who will be refusing a treatment yet will still remain in the care and premises of the medical institution. In the form, a patient information section is incorporated and must be completed by the patient along with a statement indicating the full name of the medical practitioner assigned to administer care and medication to the patient.

Self-Discharge Against Medical Advice Form

How to Create an Against Medical Advice Forms

Creating an against medical advice form is easy as long as the document preparer knows what the medical institution requires and needs for their patients and clients to provide. To create a simple yet effective against medical advice form, the following steps should be followed:

Step 1: State the title of the form. For this document, the title of the form which is “Against Medical Advice Form” should be indicated at the top and the center portion of the form. Along with the title may be the name of the medical institution or organization who is supplying the forms to their clients and a date area where the client will be able to state the date of when he used the document to inform the institution about his intents.

Step 2: Construct a certification statement. The purpose of having a certification statement is to adequately indicate the needs and intents of the client as well as properly document the client’s general information. The statement can begin with a sentence referring to the certification of the client that he is a patient of the institution, he is assisted by the physician assigned to him, and that he wants to leave as well as reject the medical advice and suggestions that the physician provided for his condition.

Step 3: Include a release and risk acknowledgment statement. The risk acknowledgment statement is intended for informing the client or the patient that the incidents which will occur after he signs the form and leaves the premises of the institution will be held liable to himself especially if his condition will worsen due to the lack of treatment resulting from his choice to decline the treatments and pieces of advice. On the other hand, the release statement, also known as a release agreement statement is for documenting the agreement and approval of the client to release the liabilities and responsibilities of the medical institution for the future incidents caused by his declination. In addition, a waiver statement can also be incorporated in the form which will be suitable for indicating that the client is waiving his rights to sue the medical institution after he completes the form.

Step 4: Enlist medical risks and benefits. The list of the medical risks and benefits should be accompanied by either boxes or blanks which will be marked by the patient and the physician. The mark can also be the patient’s initials or signatures depending on what the institution prefers and deems valid for the process of completing the against medical advice form.

Step 5: Incorporate a signature block. The signature block is the last section of the against medical advice form which should have three blocks or areas. The first signature block is intended for the patient or the client who completed the fields of the form along with the date of when he signed the form. The second block is for the physician while the last one is for the witness.

In addition, a recording area can also be constructed in the form which will be for the personnel or the staff who received the completed against medical advice form with all the signatures of the involved parties. This area should be able to collect the names of the staff or personnel who was assigned and have received the form, the date and time of when the form was submitted, the date and time of when the data in the form had been recorded in the database of the medical institution, and the processing or document number assigned to the recorded form.

Why Is an Against Medical Advice Form Important?

An against medical advice form is important for many reasons. Firstly, the form is a tool for the medical institution and the staff to record the data of the patient, specifically the patient’s status and presence on the premises. It ensures that the patient is diagnosed in the institution and that the patient wanted to leave or deny the suggestions and advice of the physician for his treatment. Another reason is it allows the institution in knowing when the patient has left and what his reasons were in relation to his leave. By gathering the reasons of the patient, the institution will be able to have a tally of the reasons which are common and which should be addressed accordingly in order to avoid the same occurrence in their company.

Lastly, the form also helps in ensuring that the institution will not be held liable for incidents which will occur due to the patient’s or the client’s choice in leaving and declining the suggestions of his physician. All liabilities and risks will be assumed by the client once he completes the against medical advice form.