Informed consent in osteopathy: template

Informing the patient and obtaining their informed consent is a central principle of practice. This requires clear information about what is proposed, its expected benefits, risks, and alternatives, before starting any techniques.

This page specifies what a consent form must contain and offers a template, without substituting for legal advice.

Why informed consent

Consent is not just a signature: it is the culmination of fair and understandable information. The patient must be able to understand the proposed care and accept it freely. The traceability of this information protects the care relationship and the practitioner.

What a consent form contains

1. Identity of the patient and the practitioner.
2. Reason and nature of the proposed care.
3. Information provided: objectives, process, expected benefits, potential risks, alternatives.
4. Specific points: particular techniques requiring enhanced information, foremost among which is cervical spine manipulation, which also requires a prior medical diagnosis certifying the absence of contraindications (Decree No. 2007-435), as do manipulations of the skull, face, and spine in infants under 6 months of age.
5. Record of the discussion: opportunity to ask questions, reflection period if relevant.
6. Obtaining consent: date, and signature of the patient (or their representative).

The case of minors and adults under legal protection

For a minor, information and consent involve the holders of parental authority, while also obtaining the child's agreement according to their age and maturity. For a adult under legal protection, the framework of the protection measure applies. These situations warrant particular vigilance regarding who consents and how.

Red flags: inform and refer

The osteopath is a primary care practitioner but does not make a medical diagnosis. In the presence of warning signs ("red flags": trauma, inflammatory, neurological, tumoral, infectious, or vascular signs), patient information includes referral to a doctor. Consent never covers care that falls outside the scope of osteopathy.

Traceability and retention

Consent and the information provided are tracked in the patient file and retained. This dated record is part of the quality of care and the protection of the practitioner.

Save time on your documents

Information, consent, follow-up sheets: so many documents to keep up to date for each patient. The winning approach: start from fixed templates, standardise the terms, and track right after the consultation.

This is what Delta allows: you capture your observations through live note-taking or post-session dictation, and the tool generates structured documents according to your templates, with longitudinal patient memory from one consultation to the next. HDS hosting, GDPR compliant.

Frequently asked questions