Final answer:
If a treatment plan changes, the new treatment typically requires new informed consent, which may require written documentation. Consent must be fully informed, freely given, and not coerced. Verbal consent may sometimes be insufficient, especially for significant changes in medical or research contexts.
Step-by-step explanation:
If a client has signed to treatment of sensitive areas, and the treatment plan has changed, subsequent treatments typically require a new form of consent which could be informed consent. While verbal consent might be acceptable in some cases, it is essential that consent is informed, meaning that the client fully understands the new treatment plan including any risks, benefits, and alternatives. Verbal consent alone may not be sufficient if the changes are significant. In many healthcare settings and research studies, particularly those involving invasive procedures or sensitive areas, written consent is often required to ensure that proper documentation and understanding of consent are established.
Discussing potential violations of informed consent, such as offering incentives like good behavior credit to inmates for participation in a study, can further illuminate the importance of ensuring that consent is freely given and not coerced. Similarly, participants must be made fully aware of their chances of receiving a placebo instead of the actual medication being tested in clinical trials. When conducting sociocultural, medical, or clinical studies, researchers must obtain written consent from participants and ensure transparency regarding the research's purpose, use, and future applications, including anonymity and the rights to review, edit, or correct published reports.
Before participating in any experiment, individuals should read and sign the informed consent form to acknowledge their understanding and agreement to participate.