Legal Definitions - general consent

General consent refers to a broad agreement given by an individual that covers a range of potential actions or situations, rather than requiring specific, itemized approval for each individual instance. It implies a general understanding and acceptance of a set of terms, conditions, or potential activities within a defined scope.

Here are some examples illustrating general consent:

• Routine Medical Care: When a patient registers at a new doctor's office or clinic, they often sign a form providing general consent for routine medical care. This allows the healthcare providers to perform standard procedures like taking vital signs (blood pressure, temperature), drawing blood for common diagnostic tests, or administering routine vaccinations without needing to obtain specific, separate consent for each individual action during subsequent visits. The patient has broadly agreed to receive typical care within the clinic's scope.

• Website Terms of Service: Before using a new mobile application or website, users are typically prompted to click "I agree" to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. By doing so, they provide general consent for the company to collect and process their data according to the outlined policy, send them service updates, and use cookies, among other things. This single agreement covers a multitude of potential data interactions and service functionalities, rather than requiring specific consent for every single data point collected or feature used.

• School Activity Permission: A parent might sign a general consent form at the beginning of the school year, allowing their child to participate in various supervised, local school activities, such as walking to the nearby park for recess, attending a school assembly, or watching an educational film, without needing to sign a new permission slip for each individual event. This general consent covers a range of typical, low-risk school-sponsored activities within the school's established guidelines.