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In-depth topic course

Informed Consent and Financial Consent in Australian Practice

Valid Consent, Capacity, Material Risks and Clear Fees Before Treatment

  • 3 CPD hoursEstimated learning time
  • 20-question assessmentPass mark 80%
  • Online, self-pacedStart any time
  • CertificateFor your CPD records

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About this course

Consent problems sit behind a large share of complaints and notifications across every registered profession. Usually the issue is not technical skill. It is a patient who was surprised: by a risk nobody mentioned, by an alternative they never heard about, by a student in the room, or by a bill from a provider they did not know existed.

This course turns the Code of conduct's consent and fees obligations into everyday practice. You will apply the material risk test from Rogers v Whitaker, assess capacity for a specific decision, support people with disability to decide for themselves, find the right substitute decision-maker in your state or territory, handle mature minors, and give written estimates that include other providers, facility costs and accurate information about Medicare and insurance.

It also covers what has changed recently, including Ahpra's interim guidance on financial or commercial conflicts of interest (September 2026), the non-surgical cosmetic procedure guidelines and the fee transparency Bill before federal Parliament, so that your consent practice reflects the current Australian framework. Every lesson ends with practical tools: phrases you can use, tables you can adapt and reflection points that turn reading into changed practice.

Who this course is for

  • Medical practitioners, nurses, midwives and nurse practitioners in public and private settings
  • Dentists, dental hygienists, therapists and prosthetists who provide treatment plans and quotes
  • Allied health practitioners, including physiotherapists, psychologists, podiatrists, occupational therapists and optometrists
  • Pharmacists who counsel on new medicines and services
  • Practice principals and managers responsible for consent forms, fee estimates and staff training
  • Practitioners who have received feedback or a complaint about consent or costs and want structured learning
  • New graduates and practitioners new to Australian practice

What you’ll learn

  • Disclose what matters

    Identify material risks for each patient, explain alternatives including no treatment, and check understanding with teach-back and qualified interpreters.

  • Get the right person's consent

    Apply the functional test of capacity, support decision-making and follow your jurisdiction's substitute decision-maker and young person rules.

  • Make costs transparent

    Give written, itemised estimates, explain funding accurately and manage financial interests without pressure tactics.

  • Write records that stand up

    Document consent discussions so that anyone reviewing the record can see what was explained, asked and decided.

Learning objectives

  • Explain the elements of valid consent and the legal and professional sources of consent obligations in Australia.
  • Apply the material risk test from Rogers v Whitaker to identify the risks a particular patient needs to know about.
  • Communicate benefits, risks, alternatives and uncertainty in ways that patients understand, using interpreters and teach-back.
  • Assess decision-making capacity, support people to make their own decisions and identify lawful substitute decision-makers.
  • Apply the rules on consent for children and young people, including mature minors and treatments needing court approval.
  • Adapt consent for telehealth, students, recordings, intimate examinations and prescribed processes such as cosmetic procedures.
  • Provide informed financial consent with itemised estimates and accurate information about Medicare, insurance and other funding.
  • Disclose and manage financial interests consistently with Ahpra's interim guidance on conflicts of interest.
  • Document consent discussions in a way that shows what was explained, understood and decided.

Scenarios covered

Practice situations you reason through, step by step, in the course.

  • The rare risk that mattered

    Deciding whether a 1 in 10,000 risk must be disclosed to a patient who has told you what she fears most, using the subjective limb of the material risk test.

  • Dementia and a minor procedure

    Assessing capacity for a specific decision in residential aged care before reaching for a family member's signature.

  • A teenager who wants confidential care

    Assessing a mature minor and understanding why the answer differs in New South Wales, South Australia and the rest of the country.

  • The surprise anaesthetist's bill

    Building an itemised estimate that flags every provider, facility charge and device cost before a private procedure.

  • Withdrawal mid-procedure

    What to do when a patient says stop with two needles left to place, and how to document it.

  • Sales targets and recommendations

    Disclosing a financial interest to each patient and presenting alternatives you do not supply, as Ahpra's 2026 interim guidance expects.

Course contents

7 sections, 32 lessons, then the final assessment.

  1. Section 1: Foundations of Valid Consent4 lessons
    • 1.1 Why Consent Matters
    • 1.2 The Elements of Valid Consent
    • 1.3 Where Your Obligations Come From
    • 1.4 Forms of Consent: Implied, Verbal and Written
  2. Section 2: Material Risk and the Information Patients Need5 lessons
    • 2.1 Rogers v Whitaker and the Material Risk Test
    • 2.2 What to Discuss: Nature, Purpose, Benefits, Risks and Alternatives
    • 2.3 Communicating Risk So It Is Understood
    • 2.4 Questions, Uncertainty and Patients Who Do Not Want to Know
    • 2.5 Failure to Warn: Causation and Consequences
  3. Section 3: Capacity and Supported Decision-Making5 lessons
    • 3.1 The Presumption of Capacity and the Functional Test
    • 3.2 Assessing Capacity in Practice
    • 3.3 Supported Decision-Making
    • 3.4 When a Person Lacks Capacity: Substitute Decision-Makers and Advance Care Directives
    • 3.5 Treatment in Emergencies
  4. Section 4: Children and Young People4 lessons
    • 4.1 Parents, Guardians and the Best Interests of the Child
    • 4.2 Mature Minors and State Legislation
    • 4.3 Special Medical Procedures and Court Authorisation
    • 4.4 Confidentiality, Family Involvement and Safety
  5. Section 5: Consent in Particular Settings5 lessons
    • 5.1 Telehealth and Remote Consent
    • 5.2 Students, Observers, Recordings and Photographs
    • 5.3 Intimate Examinations and Delegated Consent Discussions
    • 5.4 Prescribed Consent Processes
    • 5.5 Refusal and Withdrawal of Consent
  6. Section 6: Informed Financial Consent5 lessons
    • 6.1 What Financial Consent Means and Why It Matters
    • 6.2 Building a Clear Estimate
    • 6.3 Explaining Medicare, Insurance and Other Funding
    • 6.4 Referrals, Fee Transparency and Recent Developments
    • 6.5 Financial Interests, Inducements and Pressure
  7. Section 7: Documenting and Sustaining Good Consent Practice4 lessons
    • 7.1 What a Good Consent Record Contains
    • 7.2 Using Consent Forms and Written Information Well
    • 7.3 Consent as a Process Over Time
    • 7.4 Team Processes and Learning from Consent Problems
  8. Final assessment and written reflection20 questions

Assessment and certificate

  1. Work through the course

    Study each section at your own pace, including the case illustrations and apply-it questions.

  2. Pass the assessment

    20 scenario-based questions. You need 16 correct (80%) to pass.

  3. Write your reflection

    A short written reflection on how the learning applies to your own practice.

  4. Download your certificate

    Shows your name, the course, the date and 3 CPD hours. Anyone can check it on our verification page.

What you keep for your CPD records

  • A certificate of completion recording approximately 3 CPD hours of learning
  • Your written reflective account, based on three course-specific prompts
  • A one-page consent and financial consent quick-reference checklist
  • Worked examples of consent notes and itemised estimates you can adapt for your practice

How certificates and CPD records workVerify a certificate

Primary sources

The course is built on these official documents. Check them for the current version.

Questions about this course

Is this course recognised by Ahpra or a National Board?

No. This course is not accredited, not approved and not endorsed by Ahpra or any National Board, which do not assess CPD courses of this kind. It is independent education designed to align with the Code of conduct and Board guidance. You record the time you actually spend and decide whether it fits your CPD plan. If you have a condition or undertaking on your registration, check with Ahpra or your Board, and your lawyer or defence organisation, before relying on any course.

What is the material risk test in Australia?

From Rogers v Whitaker (1992): a risk is material if a reasonable person in the patient's position would be likely to attach significance to it, or if you know or should know that this particular patient would. Professional custom alone does not decide what must be disclosed.

Do I have to give patients a written quote?

The Code of conduct requires patients to be made aware of fees and charges, preferably before care. A written, itemised estimate is the clearest way to meet that obligation and is expected in some settings, such as cosmetic surgery.

At what age can a young person consent to treatment?

It depends on the jurisdiction and the young person's maturity. The common law mature minor principle applies Australia-wide, NSW legislation gives a defence for consent at 14 or over, and South Australian legislation lets people aged 16 or over consent as adults. The course explains each.

Who consents if my adult patient lacks capacity?

Check for a valid advance care directive, then an appointed decision-maker, then the default decision-maker under your state or territory's law. Some treatments need tribunal approval. The course walks through the steps.

Is a signed consent form enough?

No. A form is evidence that a conversation probably happened. Courts and Boards look at what was actually explained and understood, so the discussion and your notes matter more than the signature.

Does the course cover telehealth consent?

Yes. It covers consent to the telehealth format, privacy and recording, costs, identity and location checks, and checking understanding when non-verbal cues are harder to read.

How long will the course take?

About 3 hours, including reading, case illustrations, reflection, a written reflective account and a 20-question scenario-based assessment with an 80% pass mark.

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