Practo pioneers in digital healthcare consent forms

BENGALURU: India’s early entrant in the health-tech platform Practo has announced the integration of consent forms into its Practo Ray Tab — considered as a first in digital healthcare industry.

Available across general, dental, dermatology and gynecology practices; the company says that this integration is aimed to further digitize practice management and ensure that patients sign the form before they undergo any treatment or surgery.

Clinics can customize the form as per their needs and create different consent forms based on different treatments.

Practo Tab is an all-in-one device empowering practice management and enhancing patient relationship management. Practo believes that this digital consent form will further strengthen the existing portfolio of services that are being offered on Practo Tab including, patient registration, feedback, schedule management, billing etc. and help doctors manage their clinic from anywhere as all information will be available on the cloud and accessible offline as well as online.

Consent forms are required to be signed for any surgical or cosmetic procedures. A consent form helps patients understand the risks and complications involved prior to a surgery or procedure and be aware of alternate treatments available without having to face any unfamiliar grievance post-surgery. For the doctor, it helps determine the complete medical history before administrating treatment and ensures that the patient is aware of all details important for performing a procedure.

Practo indicates that 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. Medico legal cases often surface due to an injury, ailment, or even death while medical care is being administered.

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.

Practo explains further that digital consent forms on Practo Tab are tamper-proof; once signed, these forms cannot be changed/modified in any way. Data privacy is of priority 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. Consent forms ensure that a patient is educated about risks involved in a procedure and it acts as an insurance for the doctor. Digitizing 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,” opined 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 the integration of consent form 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,” commented Shashank ND, Founder & CEO, Practo.