Practo, the leading digital healthcare platform, has announced the integration of consent forms into the Practo Ray Tab for the first time. Available across general, dental, dermatology and gynaecology practices; the integration is aimed to further digitise practice management and ensure that patients sign the form before they undergo any treatment or surgery. Clinics can customise the form as per their needs and create different consent forms based on different treatments.
The two-year-old Practo Tab was built to serve as a seamless companion for Practo Ray- which is the widely used practice management and appointment scheduling software for doctors and clinics.
There is a huge increase in the number of medico-legal cases in the last decade and many of them could be due to lack of consent or inadequate consent from patients. With the help of a digital consent form, doctors will be able to ensure that a signed medical consent form exists and is accessible easily which is extremely pertinent in case of liability issues that can arise after a patient has been treated by them. The digital consent forms available on Practo Tab are legally compliant and uses electronic signatures as per Sec 2 (ta) of Information Technology Act 2000.
Further, a consent form also serves as a documented proof of patients' health record before proceeding for the surgery. The Digital consent forms on Practo Tab are tamper-proof; once signed, these forms cannot be changed/modified in any way. Data privacy is of utmost importance and digitally securing them on the cloud is a good way to guarantee this. Patients can easily register themselves using Practo Tab and fill details in their digital consent form making it easily accessible for doctors to view patients’ medical history.
“Consent forms are important in case of any treatment administered by the doctor but it is a crucial legal requirement in case of surgical, cosmetic or any other invasive procedure. It ensures that a patient is educated about risks involved in a procedure and it acts as an insurance for the doctor. Digitising consent forms in Practo Ray Tab is a great step by Practo, as all patient records can now be digitally stored and are easily accessible. It is also a better alternative as physical copies can be damaged or misplaced,” Dr. Raman Kumar, President, Academy of Family Physicians of India (AFPI), New Delhi .
“For the very first time consent forms have been given the digital makeover. With its integration on Practo Tab, we will be able to provide better tools to doctors and significantly improve patient’s healthcare experience. Digital consent forms will ensure that every healthcare provider has the required information readily accessible at their fingertips,” Shashank ND, founder & CEO, Practo.