Consent forms that are electronic instead of being presented with a stack of papers to sign are being used by the VA...some resistance initially from physicians, but has been in place and working for a few years...yes you guessed it, capture that digital signatures with a tablet...BD
The Department of Veteran's Affairs, with 153 hospitals, has over the past several years adopted a new electronic informed-consent software program that allows
patients to use a digital pad to sign the consent forms, which can then be stored in their medical record. The program, known as iMedConsent, includes a library of anatomical diagrams and explanations written at a sixth-grade reading level for more than 2,000 procedures in more than 30 medical specialties.
It initially took more time to complete the process, and some doctors were resistant. But after about two weeks of use, the new system was just as quick as the old paper ones. Also, patients with elective procedures can now be given the materials before the scheduled procedure, according to Ellen Fox, director of the VA's National Center for Ethics.
"The forms were much easier to understand and I spent more time reading them than I ever have before," says Mr. Butler. "The others I've seen seemed to be written by lawyers and these were more in consumer or layman terms."
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