Over the last two decades, informed consent has evolved from a simple signature to a cornerstone of patient care. Today, with complex treatments becoming routine, the stakes for proper patient education and consent are higher than ever. 

Now is a great time to ensure your clinic’s consent process is clear, patient-focused, and compliant.

Why Informed Consent Matters Now More Than Ever

A recent class action lawsuit regarding PGT-A testing has underscored the risks when patients feel misinformed.

In this case, patients alleged they were not fully informed of the test's limitations and claimed this left them unprepared for results that affected major treatment decisions and outcomes. 

The lawsuit highlights that a patient’s experience often hinges on how well they understand complex procedures like PGT-A, and when it comes to fertility, complex is the norm. When consent falls short, patients can feel misled, leading to distrust and, as seen here, legal action.

Patients need complete, clear information to make informed decisions about their care. These cases underscore that informed consent is an essential process that ensures patients fully understand their treatment options, including benefits, risks, and alternatives.

A strong, informed consent process is more than just legal protection—it's an opportunity to strengthen the doctor-patient relationship and improve clinical outcomes. Research demonstrates that patients who fully understand their treatment options are more likely to:

• Maintain treatment compliance
• Report higher satisfaction with their care
• Experience reduced anxiety about procedures
• Feel more empowered in their healthcare decisions

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine emphasizes that informed consent should be viewed as an ongoing process rather than a single event. This process requires sufficient patient understanding to make well-reasoned decisions that align with their values and goals.

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Creating a New Standard for Informed Consent

With approximately two-thirds of fertility patients now completing their informed consent through EngagedMD’s platform, it has emerged as the gold standard in digital consent management. 

Here's how our platform strengthens your practice's consent process:

Emphasizes the "informed" part of informed consent

Informed consent requires patient education and comprehension, which traditionally meant clinicians spending time explaining procedures and consent forms page by page. This approach isn't scalable or patient-friendly. With EngagedMD, you can transform your informed consent process into an efficient system that works for both patients and practices. Here's how:

• Assign educational video modules that walk patients through their treatment plans, including benefits, risks, and limitations
• Leverage modules’ built-in knowledge checkpoints to verify and document comprehension
• Lock consent forms until associated educational modules have been completed
• Give patients the flexibility to review and sign materials at their own pace

Minimizes the risk of error

Paper-based consent processes create significant risks: incomplete forms, missing signatures, and documentation errors that can delay care or leave clinics legally vulnerable when proceeding without proper consent. EngagedMD was specifically designed to mitigate these risks in fertility care by facilitating:

• Consents coming back complete and correct through the use of required fields and the ability to prepopulate basic demographic fields to reduce manual entry mistakes
• Smart configuration tools that prevent consent invalidation by ensuring patients and partners make matching decisions on critical forms
• Ease of document management, with options for downloads of completed forms or EMR integrations

Maintains an auditable informed consent system that protects your practice

Protect your practice with robust security features and comprehensive documentation that ensure compliance while streamlining administrative workflows:

• Advanced authentication technology that verifies signer identity and prevents unauthorized access
• Detailed digital audit trails capturing every interaction with consent forms, including:some text
  • Real-time tracking of all signature events
  • Documentation of form access and review
  • Secure IP address verification
  • Multi-level security protocols
• Automated consent management system that securely stores and tracks forms while reducing staff workload

This digital transformation in consent management doesn't just protect your practice—it enhances the entire patient experience while ensuring thorough documentation of their understanding and consent. 

By implementing EngagedMD's comprehensive platform, you're not just meeting the current standard of care—you're exceeding it.

Looking Ahead

As reproductive medicine evolves, the importance of strong informed consent practices has never been greater. Comprehensive consent processes not only protect your practice but also foster trust, improve patient experiences, and support better treatment outcomes.

Informed consent is more than a regulatory requirement—it’s an opportunity to empower patients, strengthen relationships, and streamline operations. When patients feel informed and confident in their care decisions, everyone benefits—from the clinic to the patient. By approaching informed consent as a cornerstone of exceptional care, we can advance both patient satisfaction and practice protection.