Acupuncture is a way to treat a patient by inserting sterile and disposable needles through your skin. As an acupuncture specialist, you need to apply electrical stimulation and heat to particular points on the patient’s skin. In some cases, you may like to combine acupuncture with other holistic treatments like cupping, magnetic stimulation, and infrared heat lamp. You have to inform your patient about the type of treatment. During a consultation, you may have illustrated everything about your chosen treatment. Still, it is essential to have consent from patients before starting the therapy. Let your patients fill out an acupuncture consent form.
Why Should You Take Consent from Your Patient before Starting Acupuncture?
The major goal of acupuncture treatment is to alleviate your patients’ remedies. Your patients inform you of the details of their symptoms and based on their information, you can start treatment. Acupuncture is an ancient treatment based on the Asian medical system. The WHO has listed 43 conditions that can be treated effectively by acupuncture.
For instance, you can treat digestive disorders, muscular-skeletal injuries, women’s health issues, and respiratory issues. Although acupuncture is a reliable and safe treatment, it causes potential risks. It is another reason why you need to ask your patients to fill out an acupuncture consent form.
Some of these risks are
- Minor pain at the treated site
- Slight discomfort
- Swelling
- Minor bleeding
- Minor burns
- Temporary aggravation of prior symptoms
- Infection
- Potential risks from needling
- Needle sickness (like fainting, dizziness, and nausea
- Damaged needles (you have to use disposable needles)
Your needles have to be pre-sterilized. Surgical stainless steel needles are safe for your purpose. After every treatment, you can dispose of these needles as medical waste. It is better to avoid reusing these needles. Make sure that you have taken universal precautions and applied Clean Needle Techniques for your patients. Although you take these safety measures, you should have permission from your patient.
Some unusual acupuncture risks include nerve damage, spontaneous miscarriage, lung puncture, and organ puncture.
Herbal Remedies and Patients’ Consent
Some acupuncture treatment providers provide other natural remedies to patients. Nutritional supplements and herbs obtained from animals and plants are a part of Oriental Medicine. However, large doses of those natural ingredients can be harmful to patients.
In the consent form, the patients should acknowledge that they know everything about the herbs used for the treatment. Some herbs can cause side effects like gas, nausea, vomiting, stomachache, diarrhea, headache, and rashes on the skin. Patients should also ensure that they are not pregnant while undergoing the treatment.
What Questions Can You Ask in Your Acupuncture Consent Form?
Acupuncture promotes normal physiological functions in your body. Thus, as a therapist, you have to learn some basic details related to your patient’s health.
- Have you already undergone acupuncture treatment before? How did your body respond to that treatment?
- Does your medical history have any record of blood diseases? (Blood clotting problems, hepatitis, and hemophilia). In case, you have those diseases, clarify the details.
- Do you have any heart disorders? Is it under control?
- Do you have diabetic symptoms? Do you currently take any diabetes medications?
- What other medications do you take? What conditions do they treat?
- Are you pregnant? (for female patients)
- Have you taken your meals in the last few hours
Every consent form should show a declaration from the patient. The patient needs to confirm that he has read and understood the above details. It is also essential to acknowledge that he has given consent to an acupuncture treatment provider. The patient may refuse treatment at any time. The consent form has to mention the name of the patient, and you can sign on the paper as a therapist.
Other Information that You Can Provide Before Starting Acupuncture Treatment
A custom acupuncture treatment may include 3 to 10 sessions. Each session lasts an hour, and there is also a difference in the cost based on the local market. Some medical insurance policies also cover acupuncture. Before beginning the therapy, you can give these important details to your patients.
Like other medical treatments, some contraindications for acupuncture include
- The use of alcohol and drugs
- Pacemaker
- Bleeding disorder
- Infection in skin
- A seizure disorder
In case of the pregnant women, needling in the lumbosacral part and abdominal zone must be avoided. You must not do acupuncture in a way that causes early fetus delivery and abortion. Let your patients know that you are careful about these parts.
You can now start creating an acupuncture consent form for your patients. Nowadays, online templates are available to create this consent form. As a busy therapist, you will save time. You can easily customize the form by dragging and dropping the elements. You will save time and energy while creating the digital consent form.
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