Informed consent

Informed consent for treatment

Your doctor and treatment team will help you make informed decisions about treatment. They will usually explain:

• the proposed treatment and its benefits 
• other treatment options 
• possible side effects, risks and complications 
• likely out-of-pocket costs (if any).

This information is generally given in English. If you need an interpreter, you can ask the doctor if they can arrange one or call the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450.

When you understand this information and agree to treatment, this is called informed consent. You will usually be asked to sign a form showing that you understand the information you have been given and agree to treatment. If you have questions or need more information, talk to your doctor.

Usually, you can change your mind even if you have already given consent. Make sure you tell your doctor or other healthcare professional clearly if you change your mind.

To agree to treatment, you must have capacity. Capacity means you can:

• understand the choices available to you 
• remember the information given to you 
• understand the outcomes of your decision 
• communicate your decision.

If you do not have capacity, another person may be able to make decisions for you. In a case of a medical emergency or where you are unconscious or unable to make decisions, consent may not be needed. If your medical team knows that you have recorded an advance care directive, they will take this into account.

Consent from children

A parent or guardian usually makes health care decisions for their child. Children should still be involved as much as possible in these decisions. It is important to ensure that the healthcare team considers your child’s health care preferences.

A child should be given age-appropriate information, take part in discussions about their treatment, and be encouraged to ask questions.

A child may be able to make their own health care decisions and consent to treatment if certain conditions are met. Different states have different laws around this.

Informed financial consent

In Australia, healthcare providers set their own fees. Before treatment starts, your doctors and other healthcare providers will usually talk to you about the likely fees (called out-of-pocket costs). This is called informed financial consent. You can ask questions if something is not clear, and you can ask for this information in writing, so you can refer to it during your treatment.

There may be extra costs associated with your treatment that you did not expect. For example, if you have surgery as a private patient, you may pay for your stay in hospital and for the anaesthetist, as well as for the surgical procedure.

Sometimes it is not possible to give informed financial consent before medical care, such as in an emergency. If this happens, you should be asked for consent as soon as it is practical afterwards.

Exploring medical costs

The Australian Government’s online tool Medical Costs Finder is a general guide to the typical fees, private health insurance contributions and out-of-pocket costs for medical services in your area. The Medical Costs Finder covers services provided in and out of hospital.

See a general list of what Medicare and private health insurance cover. If you have private health insurance, you will need to contact your health fund to find out what costs are covered in your policy.

Services Australia (Centrelink) offers a range of payments that may be available to people with cancer.