Have you heard the latest news? We certainly did.
It’s about an aesthetic nurse practitioner who got her licence revoked and her business closed due to a botched treatment and a lack of consent form.
Yes, a botched treatment will certainly earn you and your business flak; however, treating a client without a patient consent form is another world of hurt. Faces is loud and proud of our commitment to safety and standards, and news like this makes us think that it’s that time again to remind aesthetic professionals that a safe and quality treatment should always comprise of these 3 things to ensure that from start to finish, you’re delivering a safe treatment to your clients.
A complete consent form
If you’re new to aesthetics, a consent form or an informed consent is a crucial document that allows a practitioner to highlight all information about a medical procedure (in this case, an aesthetic treatment). It consists of information related to the possible risks and benefits of a treatment. If your client decides to have an aesthetic treatment, he/she needs to sign the form to give you official consent.
Concerning why consent forms are important, an incomplete consent form is a gigantic risk for you and your business. Besides the fact that your insurance won’t back you up, you’re opening yourself to a medical malpractice claim. Informed consent is a legal and ethical obligation that needs to be given for every treatment, for clients to receive timely information about the aesthetic treatments they’re having. In addition, aesthetic professionals carrying out any procedures or treatments without a patient consent form can be a basis for assault, potentially opening themselves to criminal penalties under UK law.
It’s easy to brush off an incomplete consent form, but when you’ve realised the risk you’re opening yourself into, the actualisation of reality comes kicking in.
We know that filling out a consent form every time a client comes in would take time, but you can always use Faces for your consent forms. You can even take the load from your client by automating the consent form sent through Faces. We’ll simplify things for you; just WhatsApp us, and we’ll help you!
Keep in mind that keeping legal troubles away is one of the reasons why consent forms are important.
A great aftercare service
A great practitioner takes care of his/her clients, you can spot an excellent practitioner from a mile away by looking through his/her aftercare service delivery.
Aftercare is a continuation of your treatment of your clients. Aftercare plays a vital role in ensuring the best possible results for an aesthetic treatment while guaranteeing the health and safety of each client. Delivering an aftercare service can be done through an aftercare document, both aftercare documents and patient consent forms can be accessed and sent through Faces.
The risk for aesthetic treatments is minimal, but it’s always there, and aftercare is the process that keeps the risk to a minimum and possibly makes it zero. Failure to administer the proper aftercare would result in treatments being botched up, life-threatening risks, and possibly even death.
An aesthetic treatment should be a situation where your clients enjoy its benefits, not being scared of its risks to their health. An aftercare document combined with a consent form from Faces could 100% elevate the results of their treatment and what they think of you as an aesthetic practitioner.
Communication, communication, and communication!
You already know why consent forms are important and why aftercare should be the norm, now let’s talk about communication.
98% of the population uses English as their medium of communication, but we understand that some practitioners don’t communicate well in English. A language barrier may hinder a connection between you and your client; worst case scenario, your client would be misinterpreting what you’ll say and turn it against you!
Communication is a two-way street, but you need to ensure that what comes on your side is factual and clear. Invest time in building the vocabulary being used in the business, finding the common words being used when doing aesthetic treatments, and finding their meaning. Being specific, asking for clarifications from time to time, and avoiding idioms that will confuse your clients even further would help you convey your thoughts clearly and easily for your clients to digest. Having the patience to communicate and build your understanding of the language would certainly benefit how you approach and communicate with your client.
Our message to you
The world doesn’t need another incompetent aesthetic practitioner. Faces and other channels of information will always give you the reminder you need to perform safe aesthetic treatments. It’s up to you how will you use this information to make sure you’re doing the right thing.
If you want to make your process easier, use Faces. If you want to know more about our industry, follow Faces. If you need any help, ask Faces. We’re always here for you.