Leave babysitters medical consent form.

A child is struck by a car or scalded by a pot of boiling water while in a babysitter's care. Can she authorize emergency medical treatment during the parents' absence? She can if they provide her with a medical consent form, notes William King, a risk manager at Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron (Ohio).

In most states, consent for treatment is not an issue if the youngster's life is being threatened. "It's a physician's decision. If, in the doctor's professional opinion, the child requires treatment to prevent permanent harm or death, it will be done."

What if it is not life-threatening, though? Treatments such as setting a broken bone or stitching an open wound could be delayed until a parent provides consent. The attending physician would determine how long to wait to get the necessary consent but the child would be continually monitored and kept comfortable during that waiting period. Parents can avoid the prospect of having an injured or sick child endure such a wait by giving a babysitter or a family member caring for a child the authority to request medical treatment. This can be especially important for parents who work, travel, or otherwise are inaccessible for extended periods of time.

Consent forms usually can be obtained through such facilities as schools or hospitals, or parents can customize or draw up their own forms. Questions the document should answer include:

* To whom does the form apply? The babysitter or family member authorized to request care should be identified clearly, as should the child for whom the form...