Voluntary admissions are carried out exclusively at the nursing home; the informed consent required from the patient at the time of admission is a fundamental part of the therapeutic contract.
The patient is adequately, comprehensibly and comprehensively informed on the proposed diagnostic and therapeutic path and his written consent is indispensable in order to carry out the hospitalization, in order to proceed with the diagnostic tests and treatment; without informed consent it is legitimate to intervene only in the cases in which the patient is in clinical conditions of imminent danger of life.
During hospitalization, as a further guarantee of the patient's right to decide about his or her care, specific consents are required for particular diagnostic and therapeutic procedures: treatment with alcohol-adverse drugs, electroconvulsive therapy, electromagnetic stimulation or direct current.
The doctor verifies that the patient, in receiving the necessary information, has fully understood the meaning of what was said and in collecting the consent also reports his name.
A valid informed consent involves the patient, making him active, aware and participating in the choices concerning his health.
Consent, which must be current and manifest, can be revoked at any time.
The consent to treatment can be expressed by other beneficiaries only in the case of minor patients or adults who are unable to understand or wish or who have appointed legal representatives.
All the documentation relating to the information received and the written consent acquired are kept in a medical record.
