A method and software product for establishing informed consent

摘要

A method and software product by which a medical practitioner (30) is able to obtain verifiable informed consent from a patient (32) involves the use of a computer system (3) executing a software product (18). The software product contains instructions to generate a series of forms on display (6). Initial forms are used to capture identification details of patient (32). Patient biometric data, such as retinal, iris, or fingerprint scans may also be captured by means of a biometric device (29). Software product (18) further includes instructions to generate a series of question forms about a medical procedure proposed for the patient. The software product is structured so that the patient is restricted from progressing through the series of questions unless a correct answer is elicited at each stage. At the termination of the questioning phase patient (32) is prompted to reconfirm their identity details. A log of the question session is written to an optical disk (28) and an informed consent form (27) printed for signature by the patient (32). The informed consent form will preferably include an identifier uniquely identifying the optical disk (28).