When running a business, you need a number of legal documents in your arsenal. Having the right legal documentation is critical for ensuring compliance with applicable laws and regulations. They also protect your business's interests, shielding it from potential legal issues like lawsuits, penalties, hefty fines and fees.
One essential legal document most businesses often neglect is consent forms. Consent forms are used to legally obtain permission to perform certain actions, ensuring that all parties involved fully understand the terms and conditions of the agreement.
Maybe you're wondering how consent forms might come into play in your business and how to create them properly. This article will explore everything you need to know about consent forms. We’ve also included 12 consent form templates you should have on hand while doing business.
Before we dive in, here’s a short selection of 8 easy-to-edit consent form templates you can edit, share and download with Visme. View more templates below:
A consent form is a document used to obtain permission from an individual or parties to perform certain actions or engage in activities. The form indicates that the signatory understands the associated terms and cannot hold the other party liable for any injury or harm.
The purpose of a consent form is to:
Consent forms are useful in business, marketing, finance, law, psychology, social sciences and education. Also, they are commonly used in medical research, clinical trials, and other healthcare-related activities.
Whenever you need individuals to participate in an activity or study, you need to have all concerned parties fill out a consent form as a form of legal backing. They protect businesses, organizations and individuals in various situations.
Here are some of the critical reasons why consent forms are important in various fields:
Consent forms are designed to provide individuals with detailed information about the nature of the activity or procedure, its risks and benefits and their rights as participants. Armed with this information, individuals can make educated decisions about whether or not to participate.
Consent forms also serve as legal documents. Beyond outlining the rights and responsibilities of both the individual and the entity performing the activity or procedure, they protect their rights and ensure they are not exploited.
As a key part of the ethical conduct of business, research and other activities, consent forms help ensure participants are treated with respect and dignity. It also protects the privacy and confidentiality of human subjects.
Consent forms provide evidence that an individual is aware of an activity or procedure and voluntarily agrees to participate. This helps to prevent misunderstandings, disputes, and legal liabilities that can arise when consent is not obtained.
In most business situations, such as data privacy laws or employment agreements, consent forms are often required by law or regulations. By obtaining written consent from individuals, businesses can:
Whether you’re creating consent forms for employment, finance or marketing purposes, they foster transparency and clear communication between businesses and individuals.
Consent forms outline the specific terms and conditions of the activity or transaction. All the parties involved get to understand their responsibilities and rights, including the ones they’re waving.
Issuing consent forms shows that your business is committed to transparency, fairness, and ethical conduct. This can help build trust with customers, employees, and other stakeholders.
Informed consent and consent forms are two separate but related concepts.
Although they’re often used interchangeably, let's show you what sets them apart.
Informed consent is the process where an individual or parties are provided with all the necessary information about a transaction, examination, test, procedure or research study so they can make an informed decision about whether to proceed.
When it comes to seeking informed consent, all parties involved must be explicitly informed about the provisions, obligations, responsibilities and benefits specified in the agreement. It’s all about ensuring everyone is on the same page and fully aware of what's happening.
On the flip side, a consent form is just one of the pieces of evidence showing that informed consent has been obtained. The document that formalizes the individual’s decision to participate in the activity—be it a transaction, procedure, treatment or study.
But here’s a caveat. A completed consent form doesn't automatically translate to informed consent, especially in fields like medicine. You need to include document proof of the physician/patient conversation in the patient’s medical record.
And on top of that, there should be a letter from the physician showing the process has been completed and the patient's informed consent has been obtained. This letter serves as better supporting evidence than just the consent form.
A consent form isn’t a one-size-fits-all document. The content of your content form will differ depending on the context or industry in which it is deployed.
However, there are essential elements that should be included in all consent forms, whether it’s for research, treatment, employment, or marketing.
Here are the key elements of consent forms.
This section should briefly highlight the aim of the consent form. Is it meant for employment, advertising, research or medical purposes? The information in this section should be clear to all parties involved or anyone reading the form.
The online consent forms should list all parties or stakeholders participating in the agreement. In addition, include their names, contact information and a brief description of their roles.
Consent forms should include a detailed explanation of the procedure, activity, agreement or transaction involved, such as:
Include a statement indicating that the participant has read and understood the information provided in the consent form and has voluntarily agreed to participate in or engage in the activity.
Also, consent forms should include a space where all parties involved in the agreement can sign and a date to show when the agreement was made.
If the participant is under 18 years of age, include a statement indicating that the parent or legal guardian has read and understood the information provided in the consent form and has given their consent for the participant to engage in the activity or participate in the study.
Some common examples of situations where a consent form may be necessary include:
1. Medical Procedures: Consent forms are commonly used in medical procedures, such as surgeries, medical treatments, and diagnostic tests. They provide patients with information about the procedure and the risks and benefits associated with it and obtain their voluntary agreement or consent to undergo the procedure.
For example, online consent forms are used in the beauty industry for invasive procedures like cosmetic surgery, tattooing and botox. However, you may also use it for non-invasive procedures like waxing, laser hair removal, sculpting, etc.
2. Research Studies: Similar to medical procedures, consent forms are also used in research studies to inform participants about the nature of the study, the potential risks and benefits of participation, and their rights as participants.
3. Business Situations: Consent forms may be used in certain business situations, such as
In addition, you can use consent forms to secure an employee’s agreement to a new or revised code of conduct or policy change.
4. Financial Transactions: Banks, insurance companies and other financial institutions can create and use consent forms for financial transactions, such as loans or investments. It helps ensure all parties understand the terms of the transaction and have voluntarily agreed to them.
5. Educational Activities: Schools, colleges, universities and other academic institutions use consent forms for various activities like
They keep their participants and sponsors informed about the activities, potential risks or requirements and secure their voluntary agreement or consent to participate.
6. Legal Agreements: Consent forms may also be used in legal agreements, such as business contracts or waivers, to ensure that all parties understand the terms of the agreement and have voluntarily agreed to them.
7. Intellectual Property: Consent forms can also be used for photography, video, or any other intellectual properties where you need permission from the owner before use.
8. Liability Waivers: You can use consent forms in certain situations, like liability waivers. For example, during recreational activities or events, you can obtain an individual's agreement to waive certain rights or take on certain risks associated with the activity or event.
9. Data Privacy and Security: Using online consent forms, you can obtain an individual's consent to collect, use, and share their personal data in accordance with data privacy laws and regulations.
Visme has a large repository of consent form templates to save you time, provide brand consistency and ensure legal compliance.
Hear what Lorens, a graphic designer, said about Visme’s templates.
“Some templates you stumble upon and are blown away that someone put the time and effort into creating them and you did not know you needed them in your life until that minute.” -
You can customize these forms as much as you like to suit different situations, purposes or use cases.
Obtain permission to administer medical treatment or procedures to patients using this minimalist consent form template. The two-page consent form template includes fields for patient information, emergency information, a statement of consent, signatures and dates.
Feel free to tweak the content and the design as you like. You can add additional fields to collect more data. Or swap the logo, fonts and colors to match your brand.
You can pick from a wide range of preset colors, make your own from the color wheel. Or simply copy-paste a HEX code to generate the color you want. Plus, you can grab colors from an image just by uploading it to the tool.
